Alternative Provision at Liberation Art Gallery
Creative, therapeutic alternative education for young people aged 12–17
Liberation Gallery has been formally approved as an Alternative Education Provider, recognising the gallery as a safe, structured, and professionally led learning environment outside mainstream education. Through creative, arts-based programmes, we support children and young people who benefit from therapeutic, rational, inclusive approaches to learning, grounded in clinical understanding, safeguarding and wellbeing.
Supporting:
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SEMH
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Autism
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ADHD
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School refusal
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NEET young people
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And more
Arts Award
Liberation Gallery is an approved Arts Award centre, offering young people the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification through meaningful, hands-on creative learning. By training within the gallery itself, young people work directly with professional artists, gaining insight into real artistic practice while developing their own skills and creative voice. This approach allows young people to build confidence, explore their interests, and achieve an Arts Award qualification in a supportive, inspiring environment that values both personal growth and artistic excellence.
What Makes the Programme Unique?
Expert-Led Artistic Mentorship: Sessions are led by experienced exhibiting artists, giving young people direct access to real-world creative practice and hands-on guidance as they develop their own work.
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Safeguarding and Therapeutic Support: All mentors are DBS checked, safeguarding trained and degree-qualified in art-related fields. The programme is overseen by HCPC-registered art psychotherapists to ensure a safe, supportive environment.
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Creative Therapeutic Approach: We combine art-making, mentoring, and therapeutic techniques to support emotional expression, confidence, and resilience alongside creative development.
Real-World Gallery Experience: Young people have opportunities to exhibit work, engage with gallery practice, and build a professional portfolio that supports future study or creative careers.
Proven Impact: Building on the success of the Arts Council England–supported “Liberation Through Art” project, we continue to expand access to creative and therapeutic education across East Sussex.
Our Mentors
Ruth Egon
Inspired by nature, my artwork expresses resilience, human emotion and wilderness. I chose to paint with intuitive raw brushmarks, layering dark and light themes, to invigorate the viewer and bring them back to nature, recognising the complexities of human emotion. I chose to paint with a sense of possibility with a little fun sprinkled in, to uplift the viewer and bring them back to nature, a tonic for the velocity and anxiety inducing contemporary life.
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BA (Hons) Textile Design, Winchester School of Art
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MA Arts Psychotherapy, Goldsmiths University (in progress)
Sarah Ellis
Sarah's artwork invites viewers into luminous, ethereal realms where light and colour become material. Through her expressive use of thread-like gestures and radiant palettes, Sarah weaves together spaces that feel both grounded and otherworldly, as though suspended between memory and energy. Each piece reflects a fascination with the unseen, the energetic currents that shape how we experience colour, texture and spatial depth - making her work a meditation on presence, light and the quiet poetry of visual experience.
Alice Twamley
Hi, I'm Alice, a 26-year-old abstract artist. I create vibrant paintings inspired by music. Growing up in a lively home with 4 siblings, l've always used art to express my emotions.
When I paint, I let music guide me, often scraping layers of paint to create unique colors and forms. Creating art helps me work through emotions, and I hope my work can offer a moment of happiness to others.
Harmony Alexander
Hi, I'm Harmony, a ceramic artist currently studying at Central St Martins. I've been working with clay since I was 4, thanks to my grandmother, a ceramicist who taught me everything from shaping to glazing. I assisted her with running workshops since the age of 9, eventually hosting my own. I love helping others get started with clay.
In my own work, I'm pushing myself to try new techniques and create more complex forms. I'm excited to mentor others in ceramics and help you find your own style in this versatile art form.
Courtney Budd
Hello, I'm Courtney, an artist, designer and illustrator with a passion for storytelling through my work, whether it's branding. books, or games. I studied Animation Arts at Bournemouth University and earned a master's in Graphic Design. My
work spans both digital and traditional mediums, often blending techniques for innovation. Animals frequently appear n my lustrations as I love capturing their spirit, both in commissions and as storytelling devices. I enjoy exploring new tools and keeping my work varied and exciting.
Arts Mentoring Project
The Liberation Art Gallery's (part-funded by Arts Council England) pilot project 'Liberation Through Art' selected 12 students to be mentored by professional artists, and the results were groundbreaking.
