Signing up for Art Works means you will have the opportunity to work on some of the newest and most exciting art projects Bristol has to offer. OTR believes in the power of art to support your emotional wellbeing, amplify your voice and strengthen your community. So, Art Works teams up with artists and galleries across Bristol and South Glos who we think will support you with exactly that.

Our projects are always changing, but in the past we’ve worked with music, clay, dance, paint, collage, photography, virtual realities and more. You don’t need any creative experience to sign up for Art Works and all our projects are FREE!

Creative Drop-In

This is a great space to get creative whether you’ve tried it before or not. Each month we’ll be working with a new material but if you don’t fancy it you can do your own thing and use any of the materials in the room that excite you. How you participate is totally up to you!

You can find out about any and all of the creative projects going on at OTR here by chatting with Isla or our lovely team of Art Works volunteers. We’re here each week in person to chat about any thoughts, worries or questions you have.

If you have any questions or would like to arrange a chat before coming along, then drop Isla (she/her) an email at isla@otrbristol.org.uk (with the subject heading ‘Creative Drop-In’).

11-25 year olds
⏰ Wednesdays 4.30-6.30 pm

📍 The John James Room, Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster BS3 4EA

Current projects

We run a monthly Book Club which, in collaboration with Give a Book, provides free books to keep and discuss.

The OTR Book Club is a safe place for young people to gather and meet like-minded book-lovers, as well as read titles they may not have previously considered.

The Book Club runs on the last Monday of each month. Members can suggest 3 books each, which run in a Doodle poll for the group to vote on our monthly book.

For 16-25 year olds
📍 Online
🗓️ Every last Monday of each month
👋 Sign up here

OTR Sounds is an online session for young people aged 16-25, offering space to come together and listen to music. We meet every other week on a Monday evening to make collaborative playlists and chat (or type) about our music choices.

For 16-25 year olds
📍 Online
🗓️ Every other Monday
👋 Sign up here

Nature Works, Sports Works, and Art Works sit within OTR’s Community Partnerships Team. These projects are designed to offer you an alternative approach to mental health care. We want to offer a wide breadth of services to ensure that you can feel empowered and in control of your health and wellbeing, on your own terms. 

We recognise that some young people face barriers to accessing mental health support, and so we actively encourage and invite young people from working class backgrounds, young people with disabilities, young men, young people with experience of care, young people for whom English is a second language, LGBTQ+ young people and young people of colour to our service. Please let us know if you are struggling to access support, for whatever reason, and we will try to support you to overcome those barriers.  For example, we can work with interpreters, support you with route planning to get to the project, or offer additional emotional support.

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our projects soon!