Carousel
Established 1982
How it all began…
We began creating artwork by and with people with learning disabilities twenty-one years ago. There was almost no provision for people with learning disabilities to practice and develop skills in the arts. We set out to change that and to challenge assumptions.
Pivotal moments
1990 – National recognition for the first time with a Time Out/Dance Umbrella Award.
2002 – Setting up our Visual Art Further Education Course, Access to Art, the culmination of so much hard work and planning.
Also in 2002 – Our first animated film, Cat Can-Can, a precursor to holding our own film festival – planned for Nov 2004.
The organisation today
Carousel runs and delivers a wide range of arts projects. High Spin Dance Theatre Company is on the brink of its second national tour, Access to Art is well into its second year and our first international collaboration is underway. We are also planning our first Film Festival and taking our club night out of Brighton and into East and West Sussex.
A big thank you to…
Our volunteers. We just couldn’t do what we do without our team of over 50 volunteers. They take part in full training, committing their time and energy, before going on to work with us, ensuring projects are fully accessible to all disabled people.
Celebration events planned
We celebrated our birthday in style on November 10 with a huge birthday bash featuring performances by High Spin, Beat Express and lots of our friends!