Susan Forbes - Artistic Statement
Freelance Visual / Textile Artist

My passion in art and education are self-expression and crafts as a means of communication, building confidence and self esteem and restoring dignity to those who have suffered abuse, addiction, violence and exclusion. My work as a community artist and tutor in the past decade has included young children and families, special needs of all ages, ethnic minority groups, sufferers of domestic abuse, older people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, and extensive projects with teenagers who are excluded from mainstream education and young people involved in drug abuse, prostitution, alcoholism and crime. My collaboration with drama and words workers has given me further insight into ways of addressing social inclusion through visual art.

I continually look to observe new skills and techniques, meet new people with similar outlooks from other organizations and further connections with partnerships. I hope to further both my personal learning and professional development while gaining new ways of working and exploring current ideas.

I am passionate about my work and my own art/textile work has developed more in the past few years. I am a great communicator and very good at networking and motivating people. I have an instinctive ‘touch’ which helps me with challenging peoples’ views and can show others new ways of working with art in a non-threatening way whilst having fun. I am committed to tackling social and economic breakdown by local led regeneration initiatives combining art work with other community work.

I have taught language, art and Women’s Studies and am very keen to explore communication, barriers and exclusion through developing my own art/craft/textile work further.