About Us
Skimstone Arts exists to support diverse artists, people and communities at risk of social isolation to create work with, for and about the world that matters to them. Skimstone Arts is the North East’s leading company for inclusive arts practice and social action and have dedicated expertise in high-quality work co-created by at risk young people, refugees, those in later years and communities.
Our approach is co-collaborating/making work together with our diverse artists, researchers and communities. Together we produce work, inspired by real stories and lived experiences, which reflect current social narratives, challenges and inspirations we face in today’s diverse society.
We specialise in using artistic provocations, exploring our stories, and studio based practice with our Young Artist Collective (aged 16 to 25) and those in later years, and /or living with dementia, to respond to life themes that affect social change. This approach produces small to mid scale touring theatre or site specific and community performances and exhibitions.
We provide training and peer mentoring for professional artists and our young artists in our artist residencies, across a range of disciplines, to support them in developing their own practice and methods of working with diverse communities.
Artistic Director/ performer Claire Webster Saaremets’ professional practice reflects 20 years work and more than 50 collaborative artistic projects and commissions with more than 5,000 people of all ages, regionally and internationally.
Skimstone Arts supports diverse artists and those at risk of isolation, to create work with, for and about the world that matters to them.
Our Mission
“A moving and beautifully crafted performance which engaged audience members from the outset. Powerful acting and masterful use of audio-visual effects transported us from our windowless conference plenary room, and we were taken on a journey with Jill and her family. This was a moving and educational experience, encouraging empathy and an understanding of the experience of dementia that just wouldn’t be possible with more traditional-style lectures or publications.” Mark Hazelwood (Chief Executive, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care) and Rebecca Patterson (Policy & Communications Manager, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care) commenting on Jack and Jill solo peformances.
Why are we called Skimstone Arts?
Because Skimstone Arts supports everyone we work with to be playful, take risks, to actively choose and pick up skills, ideas and concepts. We positively work with people to make something – a mark, a performance, an artwork, a song – and see its skims and steps of momentum. We don’t know how far the impact of the experience will travel, but the ripples continue and the stone remains unseen on the sea bed, like the change in confidence and public recognition and celebration of who we are.