Project Ability is a specialist arts charity that is dedicated to developing, exhibiting and celebrating artwork by people who find it difficult to attend mainstream activities. We run visual arts and film making workshops for people with disabilities or with mental health problems at our studios in Glasgow City Centre and in community-based projects across Glasgow, and throughout Scotland.

In our two galleries a changing exhibition programme showcases the artwork (and the films) created by around 300 people who take part in our programmes every week.

Our Vision-

Project Ability’s mission is to open up the arts for people of all ages and abilities and to break down some of the barriers that prevent people from accessing mainstream activities.

Our workshop programmes introduce people to the positive experience of taking part in the visual arts and encourage them to develop new skills. We believe that by exploring their creativity people can experience a range of benefits. Not only is creating art fun - but it can help build people’s confidence and can really improve their health and well being.

We support people to demonstrate their talents and achievements by participating in local, national, and international arts events, exhibitions and exchanges. Through this exhibition programme we aim to change the public’s perceptions of people with learning disabilities and people with mental health problems - and to help create a more equal society.

Programmes and Activities-

Within Glasgow we manage a diverse range of activities involving around 300 people each week:
• a year-round programme of visual arts workshops and projects for adults with learning disabilities
• a supported artists’ studio for people referred through community mental health services and project work with mental health groups, in resource centres and hospitals
• a visual arts and digital filmmaking programme for children and young people with autism and other learning and developmental disabilities in the evenings and at weekends
• projects designed to increase the level of participation by Black & Minority Ethnic disabled people in our workshop, training and studios programmes and encourage their participation in a wider range of cultural events and artistic activities