Our Vision
The power of the arts unlocks hope, talent and potential in the lives of people in the criminal justice system.
Our Mission
To inspire participation in the arts by people in prisons and beyond, and to build public recognition of their creative work, fostering communities that support rehabilitation.
Our goals are:
- Participation: To motivate and support people in custody and on community sentences, including probation, to participate in the arts, ensuring that the educational, social and well-being benefits of the arts are accessible to all.
- Showcasing: To share this creativity with communities across the UK through innovative public programmes, enabling everyone to experience this powerful work and these hidden stories of change.
We are unique in our reach, engaging with every prison and criminal justice setting in the UK, as well as British prisoners abroad.
Our Work
Creative work in many forms is made in prisons and other secure settings across the UK, often with limited materials. Koestler Arts exists to encourage, recognise and share that work, bringing it to wider audiences.
Thousands of artworks are entered into the Koestler Awards annually, from prisons, young offender institutions, secure hospitals, immigration centres and the community. Our team and volunteers including arts professionals, review the work, provide feedback, and select pieces for awards, publication, and exhibitions.
We are based just outside HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs in west London, and work with prisons and secure settings across the UK, as well as with people on probation and community sentences to provide creative inspiration and opportunities, helping to open up space for personal creativity and expression.
Through partnerships with galleries, museums and arts organisations, we bring this work into public view. Exhibitions and events create moments for audiences to encounter art made within the criminal justice system, and to see first-hand the creativity, skill and imagination that exists there.
Questions?