Every Artist Has Something to Teach

For many of us, meeting an artist happens in a gallery or museum. We admire the finished work, read the label and move on. Rarely do we have the opportunity to meet the artist behind the work, discover how they think or experience the creative process for ourselves.

Throughout the year, the Sovereign Art Foundation is changing that.

Across Lisbon, Estremoz and, from this September, the Algarve, the Foundation runs a growing programme of free artist-led workshops that invite children, families and communities to create alongside some of Portugal's most exciting contemporary artists. Each workshop is completely different because each one begins with the artist's own creative practice.

Rather than delivering a traditional art class, every invited artist is encouraged to ask a different question. What inspires them? What materials do they enjoy working with? How do they see the world? Together, these ideas are transformed into engaging, hands-on activities that are accessible to all ages and abilities.

While these workshops are different from the Foundation's expressive arts therapy programmes, they are built on many of the same values. Creativity encourages curiosity, confidence, collaboration and self-expression, while offering people of all ages the opportunity to slow down, connect with one another and simply enjoy making something together.

Many of the Lisbon workshops take place at Dona Ajuda, an inspiring community organisation that generously opens its doors each month, providing a welcoming space where artists, children and families can come together. Their ongoing support has helped establish a regular creative hub where art is not something to observe from a distance, but something to experience together.

Every workshop offers a different way of looking at the world.

Visual artist Harry Cartwright encouraged participants to discover the creative possibilities hidden within everyday materials. Using old magazines, postcards and donated papers, families created colourful collages inspired by Harry's own layered artistic practice. Sustainability, storytelling and experimentation came together as discarded materials found new life through imagination. Reflecting afterwards, Harry said he left feeling just as inspired as the children themselves.

"There's always such an exciting energy and a feeling of limitless creativity when working with the children... I always come away feeling so inspired... I feel I've learnt so much from the children's processes."

Award-winning illustrator and cartoonist Joe Hoffecker took a completely different approach, inviting families to create colourful self-portraits using nothing more than simple paper shapes, crayons and markers. Starting with the same basic materials, every participant produced something entirely unique, reminding everyone that there is no single right way to represent yourself.

As Joe reflected after the workshop:

"SAF workshops like these aren't just about making art. They're about building community... and realising there's no single 'right' way to see the world, or yourself."

In Sintra, artist and 2025 Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize finalist Joana Mollet welcomed families into her woodland studio for a day inspired by mindfulness and nature. After exploring the surrounding gardens and collecting leaves, moss, branches and stones, participants returned to the studio where clay and natural materials were transformed into woodland spirits, fairies and imaginative creatures. The workshop encouraged participants to slow down, observe the world around them and discover creativity through nature.

Other workshops have explored creativity in completely different ways. Artist Sebastião Castelo Lopes invited participants to search through books, collecting individual words that were then written onto wooden blocks and assembled into one large collaborative installation, demonstrating how language itself can become sculpture.

Artist Sharzadian introduced participants to the rich symbolism of Persian culture through The Conference of the Birds, adapting Attar's 900-year-old Persian fable into an experience the children could inhabit themselves. Drawing inspiration from her own use of traditional Iranian mirror work, the children became ten young "birds", working together on a contemporary collective piece combining painting and mirror.

Reflecting on the experience, Sharzadian said:

"That is why I think creative work with children matters: it gives them a language for courage and an attitude of expression without expectation, before they even have the words for either."

The Foundation has also embraced new creative disciplines beyond the visual arts. Earlier this summer, filmmaker Chloe Jenden, founder of Future Youth Media, joined forces with Paul S. Tracey and O QUADRO to deliver a full-day filmmaking workshop at Palácio do Grilo in Lisbon. Young people explored visual storytelling, learned the fundamentals of filmmaking and worked collaboratively to develop and present their own film concepts, demonstrating that creativity can be expressed just as powerfully through moving images as through paint or clay.

Reflecting on the day, Chloe said:

"It was a real pleasure working with the children and seeing their storytelling take shape. It was clear how valuable this experience was for some of the girls, allowing them to explore their own imaginations and histories."

Paul added:

"I've always believed that creativity is one of the most powerful ways to help young people build confidence, discover their voice and develop a sense of purpose. Watching these kids explore filmmaking, collaborate with one another and bring their ideas to life was incredibly rewarding."

This growing programme reflects one of the Foundation's core beliefs: creativity should be accessible to everyone.

All workshops are free to attend, with materials provided, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to participation. Children are encouraged to attend alongside parents, grandparents and friends, creating shared experiences where everyone learns together. Rather than watching creativity happen, participants become part of it.

The programme continues to grow. Alongside regular workshops in Lisbon and Estremoz, the Foundation will launch its first artist-led workshop programme in Loulé this September, expanding opportunities for families across the Algarve to engage with contemporary artists and creative practice.

As the programme develops, the Foundation is also keen to hear from artists who would like to become involved. Artists from all disciplines are invited to collaborate in designing workshops inspired by their own practice. The Foundation provides materials, organisational support and an artist fee, working together to make high-quality creative experiences accessible to communities across Portugal.

Whether through collage, drawing, sculpture, filmmaking or storytelling, each workshop begins with an artist sharing the way they see the world. In doing so, they inspire others to discover their own creativity too.

To hear about upcoming free workshops, follow the Sovereign Art Foundation Portugal on Instagram or sign up to the Foundation's newsletter. Everyone is welcome.

Vote online and explore the shortlisted artworks:
https://www.sovereignartfoundation.com/sp-portugal/

Find out more about the Sovereign Art Foundation’s work in Portugal:

https://www.sovereignartfoundation.com/expressive-arts-programme-portugal/

Follow SAF Portugal on Instagram:
@sovereignartfoundationportugal

Sovereign Art Foundation Portugal
📧 Tanya@sovereignartfoundation.com