Decision Making at Artbox

Artbox is led by a board of trustees who meet 6-8 times a year. Along with the Co-directors, they ensure Artbox is following its aims and objectives, while also looking at ways Artbox can grow and develop high quality opportunities for its artists.

Artist-led Decision Making at Artbox

In Autumn 2023, we began a project to enhance and formalise inclusive leadership at Artbox London, discussing and experimenting with different ways that the artists that we serve can be empowered in decision-making. 

Artbox London now works with almost 80 artists with learning disabilities and autistic artists, each with their own set of needs, desires and ambitions. Artbox has always prided itself on being artist-led, listening to and engaging in conversation with our artists and their support network’s at every step of the way. However, as the number of artists and staff both grow, we think it is important to invest in developing a process that ensures that all of the artists’ points of view are heard or seen.

We deliver a complex service - in addition to delivering art workshops, we also prioritise opportunities for our artists to develop both as an artist and a person. By ensuring that the artists’ voices are solidified in our leadership we will:

  • Be representative of the neurodivergent people the organisation is centred around

  • Better understand the lived experience of neurodivergence and make strong decisions according to that experience

  • Empower the artists to make decisions in relation to their own needs

  • Deliver a service that has been developed for neurodivergent people by neurodivergent people

The Artist Advisory Group

The Artist Advisory Group is a peer-network composed of Artbox London artists. A group of artists have volunteered to be the Artist Advisor for their workshop group. We work with 12 workshop groups every week. 

The Artist Advisors are supported to lead conversations about ideas or changes for Artbox’s programme with their groups. This means that everyone across Artbox’s service users will get the opportunity to raise an idea or issue with their Artist Advisor. The Artist Advisory Group will also focus on topics in line with the board of trustee’s strategic discussions, ensuring that our artists’ ideas are central to the leadership’s thinking.

The Artist Advisory Group embodies our value of choice, ensuring that all artists have control over their decisions and activities, fostering independence and self-determination.