We are delighted to announce that our Inclusion Team, Sophie Bennett (Producer of Inclusion) and Rosie May (Inclusion Coordinator) have jointly received a Marsh Award for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement.
Over the past four years, they have collectively grown and reimagined MK Gallery’s multi-award-winning Inclusive Practice in the Arts (IPA) programme, widening opportunities for local disabled and neurodivergent children, young people and adults, and contributing to national conversations around disability, inclusion and representation.
Their work has broadened MK Gallery’s wider access programme, engaging communities often excluded from the arts, whilst influencing organisational change and exhibition programming.
IPA is rooted in providing innovative and bespoke creative opportunities for individuals with additional and complex support needs, as well as their families and support networks. The team’s approach is built on prioritizing long-term exchange and developing meaningful, impactful relationships with participants.
Activity has included:
- Art and Us, weekly family workshops
- Our Studio, supported studio space for young adults
- Art Together, holiday workshops
- Sensory Exhibition Tours, for early years and SEND audiences
- Sensory Boxes, outreach offer
- Tactile Art Workshops, for adults with visual impairment
- Partnership projects with local SEND schools and disability organisations
- Audio Described and BSL exhibition tours
- Relaxed exhibition viewings and cinema screenings
Find out more about all of this year’s recipients here: Marsh Awards 2025 – Engage
