Workman HQ’s walls and meeting rooms at 80 Cheapside have become a little brighter this week, after the installation of a range of 25 different artworks by Art Rabble, a social enterprise.
The artwork comes from a variety of artists with different backgrounds and disabilities, brought together by Lisa Lim’s initiative to make their art more visible to a wider audience. The main aim is to support disabled artists who struggle to get their work into bricks and mortar galleries and exhibitions, not because they lack talent, but because they face barriers that other artists may not.
The framed artwork has a professional, gallery-style look that help make the office spaces feel more visually appealing and uplifting for employees and visitors using our meeting rooms. The artwork helps bring more colour, nature, and human stories into the corporate environment, which can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing, work culture and general atmosphere.
Lisa (pictured above) says:
“The opportunity to put work in here at 80 Cheapside is wonderful, because it means so many more people can see it. The thing that’s really meaningful for the artists, is to know that lots of people have seen their work, and that it’s on show in lots of different places.”
Ed Moore, Partner at Workman, who forged the firm’s link to Art Rabble, says:
“As well as being great to look at, much of the artwork on display here provides a connection to the outdoors and nature, which aligns with Workman’s drive to promote biodiversity across our managed properties. It’s already proving a conversation point, while helping liven up the otherwise impersonal meeting rooms, and also providing inspiration when we read the stories of the artists behind the work.”
“A sense of diversity and inclusion”
Often disabilities and health challenges, seen or unseen, preclude artists from building a career and gaining exposure for their work. Art Rabble’s aim is to build a platform where disabled artists can build confidence and generate an income on their own terms. The site pays the artists commission for each print sold, helping to build their self-esteem as well as giving some financial independence.
The artists also share their stories, giving insight into their experiences and the challenges they face, as well as their aspirations for the future. Tazia Fawley, who has Down’s Syndrome, provided the initial inspiration for Lisa’s initiative, after she purchased one of Tazia’s artworks, and was inspired to find more artists with disabilities to showcase, with the goal of making their art more accessible to a wider audience through online sales and exhibitions.
Lisa, who is a mother of four children, one of whom has Down’s Syndrome, now works with artists who have varying degrees of disabilities and health challenges, such as Ella Walker, who struggles with mental health challenges, Clive Mealin, who has autism, Sue Trickey, who is partially deaf and has struggled with mental health challenges, and Sophie Wardle, a former City worker who was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s at the age of 38.
Lisa says:
“The artwork showcases the talents and stories of artists with disabilities, which can be inspiring and serve as a reminder that there are people leading different lives outside the typical corporate treadmill. This can help bring a sense of diversity and inclusion, helping us all appreciate that everyone has something to offer.”
