Soft Touch Arts

An arts engagement programme targeting adults in custody, all of whom experience a range of mental health challenges. Over a period of several months, Soft Touch Arts arts workers worked with groups of prisoners and offenders to facilitate various arts projects with a view to exhibiting their work to the general public. Participants worked on a broad range of themes and in different media, while creating artworks that draw attention away from the usual visual surroundings of the prison environment and create a more peaceful and inspirational mood.
The Unlocked exhibition was a collection of works created by men serving sentences at HMP Leicester, HMP Stocken, and the now-closed HMP Glen Parva, as well as those who have completed their sentences and returned to their communities. The results were on display at Leicester Museum and at Soft Touch Arts.

STart is a project coordinated by Soft Touch Arts and designed to reach out to young people who feel isolated from the community. The project engages them with art, music and social activities to help build their confidence and develop creative skills and talents. It consists of regular weekly session that takes place on Thursday evenings, running throughout the year at Soft Touch’s youth arts centre. During the sessions young people work on their own creative projects and also get the opportunity to take part in an annual exhibition at Soft Touch which showcases their work.