Outside In

We are delighted to have works from the Outside In Collection on loan to Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery for 'Art Any Way', an exhibition bringing together work by artists who have found freedom of expression outside of conventional norms, offering fresh and exhilarating perspectives along the way.

Outside In artists in the exhibition include: James, Lake, Joanna Simpson, Valerie Potter, Ben Wilson, Friedrich Nagler, Aradne, Cecilia Montague, Drew Fox and Carol Jaye. Spot some of their brilliant work in these install shots!

Exhibition dates: 14 September, 2026 - 30 January, 2027 🖼

📸 Photo credit: Adj Brown and Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery.

📣We are a recruiting a co-facilitator for Make Art: Bournemouth.

Would you like to run a regular monthly art group with Outside In? Working with us to nurture a creative community in Bournemouth for artists who face barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance and isolation.

We are looking for a second Outside In artist to co-facilitate the group alongside current facilitator Stuart. This is a development opportunity for an artist with some facilitation experience who would like to grow their skills further. The group is on the first Monday of the month from 2pm – 4pm at the Old School House in Boscombe 🎨

Please note:
You need to be an Outside In artist within travelling distance of Boscombe to apply for this opportunity. You can join Outside In for free before applying if you are an artist with significant barriers to the art world including health, disability, social circumstance and isolation.

See our website for full details, link in bio 🔗

📆Important Dates:
Applications close: 11 October
Interviews: 21 October (online)

Image: Art as Refuge workshop, photography by Christian Emanuel

Thank you to the Outside In artists who came to see their work in person at the British Art Fair at over the past few days, it was wonderful to have you all with us in the space and celebrate our 20th anniversary display 'Into the Woods' 🖼

Slide 1: Outside In Ambassador Richard Downes in conversation with exhibiting artist Sajida Asif in front of her work 'Tinitus - Forever Companion'.

Slide 2: Make Art Brighton artists with their collaborative artwork 'The Big Paper of Dreams'.

Slide 3: Outside In Director Molly Bretton in conversation with exhibiting Make Art Brighton artists.

📸 Photo Credit:

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Inspiration: September's Artist of the Month is Drew Fox, a longstanding Outside In artist and Ambassador 🎨

As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we'll be taking a curated selection of works by Outside In artists to the British Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery later this week, including Drew's plywood paintings ✨

Drew began making small sculptures and paintings from found materials in 2020 as a way to keep his brain active and find purpose in daily life after experiencing an ischemic stroke and diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease. In our Artist of the Month interview we asked Drew for more insight into the story behind these works:

"The paintings in this small collection are my first attempts at exploring the way in which my cardiovascular disease had impacted my life, body and the outlook of my future. They feature abstract interpretations of what I imagined may be happening within my brain, strange landscapes I found myself inhabiting during the day as if in a semi lucid state, and characters that seemed to appear of their own accord as I put my paintbrush to the plywood."

Read the full interview with Drew on our website 🔗 link in bio

🖼Artworks:
Slide 1: 'Exodus 1', Drew Fox
Slide 2: 'Inner Realm 1,2,3 and 4', Drew Fox
Slide 3: 'Smoker 1,2,3 and 4', Drew Fox
Slide 4: 'Big Country 1,2,3 and 4', Drew Fox
Slide 5: 'Miniscapes 1,2,3 and 4', Drew Fox
Slide 6: 'MRI 1,2,3 and 4', Drew Fox
Slide 7: 'Exodus 2', Drew Fox

Best of luck to Outside In artist Clarke Reynolds who began his Venice Fellowship Programme today 🎉

Clarke will spend a month at the Venice Biennale , invigilating Lubaina Himid's exhibition at the British Pavilion, and working on his creative project 'Postcards from Venice' whilst he is there.

We are delighted to partner with the British Council for yet another year of Outside In artists joining the Venice Fellowship Programme. Clarke is going to be sharing daily updates from Venice which we are excited to see, so keep an eye on his page

🖼 Image:
Slide 1: Mr Dot (Clarke Reynolds) at his first solo exhibition 'Decoding Braille, Decoding Me' which toured the UK.
Slide 2: Quote by Clarke Reynolds after being awarded the Fellowship.

OUR STORY: Did you know Outside In has a growing collection of artwork made by non-traditional and excluded artists?

Our collection includes over 180 artworks in a variety of mediums, from paintings and drawings, to textile and sculpture ✨

In 2024 Rose Knox-Peebles kindly donated part of her personal collection to Outside In after collecting art for 60 years. Rose’s donation to the collection has been used in Step Up 'Introducing Collections' and 'Exploring Collections' training for Outside In artists, and we have recently loaned work by nine artists in the collection to Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery for the 'Art Any Way' exhibition which opened this week 🖼

🎨Artwork:
Slide 1: 'Outside In Collection', detail from Outside In's 20th Anniversary Timeline, illustration by Outside In artist Pippa Prangley, .to

Slide 2: Carol Jaye, Voyage to the rainbow [1], unknown date, ceramic, 15.5cm x 16cm x 11.5cm. Kindly gifted by The Rose Knox-Peebles Collection

Slide 3: Scottie Wilson, Untitled (Blue), unknown date, pen on paper, 49cm x 31cm. Kindly gifted by The Rose Knox-Peebles Collection

Slide 4: Kate Bradbury, Untitled, Pen on paper, 29.5cm x 21cm

Slide 5: Cecelia Montague, Embroidery 1, Textile, 26cm x 18cm

Slide 6: Friedrich Nagler, Untitled (plate), unknown date, paint on plate, 25.5cm x 25.5cm. Kindly gifted by The Rose Knox-Peebles Collection

Slide 7: Valerie Potter, Untitled box of 50 cross stitch works, Cross stitch on fabric, 10cm x 10cm

Reminder: One day left until the submission deadline for Outside In's open call and upcoming exhibition at David Zwirner London.

📆 Apply by 5pm on Thursday 17 September 2026

❗Important eligibility criteria for this open call:
✨Artists must meet Outside In’s eligibility criteria. This means you experience barriers to the art world because of your health, disability, social circumstances or isolation.
✨Artists must already have, or set up an online gallery with Outside In before the application deadline (Deadline: 5pm, 17 September 2026)
✨Artists must have never exhibited work in a dedicated gallery space before. You can still apply if you've exhibited in places such as community centres, libraries, cafés, hospitals, schools or empty shops.

🔗 Link in bio to the exhibition page and application form, or follow https://outsidein.org.uk/exhibition/david-zwirner-london/

Our Artist of the Month for September is Drew Fox, a longstanding Outside In artist, Ambassador and one of four artists exhibited in ‘Into the Woods’, Outside In’s curated collection at the 2026 British Art Fair 🎨

Drew's sculptural miniature ‘The Medieval Brigand’ is a representation of himself in his early twenties when he spent nine years living in a bender tent, traveling across the UK as an agricultural labourer.

The artwork includes replicas of the entirety of his possessions during this period, mainly tools and items essential to living in a temporary shelter which would be set up, lived in for a few weeks before being taken down, moved and set up again.

To take a closer look at the exceptional details, including a working woodburning stove made from an old b**r can, be sure to visit Drew's Outside In online gallery on our website.

🔗Link in our bio for full Artist of the Month interview

🖼 Artwork: 'The Medieval Brigand', mixed media, Drew Fox

Slide 1: Installation view, Shelter at New Art Gallery Walsall, David Rowan Photography
Slide 2: Making of the Medieval Brigand, Drew Fox
Slide 3: Making of the Medieval Brigand, Drew Fox