CoolTan Arts ‐ enhancing well‐being through the power of creativity
| Published date | 13 May 2010 |
| Date | 13 May 2010 |
| Pages | 12-16 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/mhsi.2010.0236 |
| Author | Kathrin Kirrmann |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Mental Health and Social Inclusion • Volume 14 Issue 2 • May 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd12
10.5042/mhsi.2010.0236
she started to make art with
friends in the old CoolTan
suntan lotion factory. Together
they ran art workshops and
classes and exhibited work.
Getting back into art was great for her self-esteem
and improved her mental health. An idea was born
to set up a charity that uses art as a positive healing
force and helps people to get back into work and
the community. Michelle started with £1,000 from a
Millennium Grant in 2002, and by 2006 had a level
2 UnLtd award, which changed her own status from
volunteer to employee.
Promoting recovery
CoolTan Arts today operates a vibrant arts centre in
Southwark’s lively Walworth Road, near Elephant and
Castle, with a public art gallery and urban garden.
It is used by 200 people a week, many more use it
on a less regular basis. CoolTan Arts is an exemplary
arts mental health charity; it meets the needs of
people with mental distress and enables them to
have a quality of life that promotes recovery and
rehabilitation:
Beginnings
Established in 1990, CoolTan Arts became a registered
charity in 1997. Taking its name from a disused
suntan lotion factory where the founders squatted, it
started off as a social enterprise, self-funded through
organising arts workshops, parties, events and renting
out space. Most people using CoolTan Arts in those
days were adults who were socially excluded and/
or on benefits. In 1993, CoolTan Arts moved to what
had been the job centre in Brixton and stayed there
for three years. After that CoolTan was ‘homeless’
until 2002, when it moved to the Railway Arches
in Loughborough Junction. Finally, in 2006 the
organisation moved to its current site on Walworth
Road in Southwark.
Michelle Baharier, funder and current CEO,
has transformed her own life and those of others.
She was medically retired at the age of 28, but a
traditional day centre did not meet her needs and
CoolTan Arts – enhancing
well-being through the
power of creativity
Kathrin Kirrmann
Communications Officer, CoolTan Arts
Abstract
This article is a profile of CoolTan Arts, a pioneering arts and mental heath charity based in South London
that believes that mental well-being is enhanced by the power of creativity. CoolTan Arts exists to inspire the
well-being and creative participation of a diverse range of people through the production of quality arts. It is
a participant-led organisation, run by and for adults experiencing mental distress, underpinning all its activities
with advocacy. Totally unique in its approach, CoolTan Arts integrates people with serious and common
mental distress with the general public through its gallery and public events.
Key words
CoolTan Arts; Charity; Mental health; Well-being; Creativity; Self-advocacy
ARTS
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