Room 13 Studios

Room 13 studios offer a different kind of creative education where students have the freedom to pursue their own interests, rather than a prescribed curriculum. The centre of our activity is Room 13 Studios Caol, our purpose-built studio in the village of Caol, facilitating creative activity among young people from Caol, Fort William and the Lochaber area.

Following Caol’s example, an international community of autonomous Room 13 studios has evolved as a grassroots movement among artists and young people in schools and communities worldwide.

In Room 13 young people have time, space and guidance to try things they’re unlikely to do at home or school; they are free to express ideas and feelings through a wide variety of artforms. Working in small groups we create a supportive atmosphere facilitating human connection and socialisation. As one young person said:

Room 13 is “connecting people through art”

We create opportunities for young people to share their artwork with the community through organising exhibitions, pop-up shops, and outdoor projections.

We create space for young people not only to develop as creative individuals, but to strengthen their agency and sense of mattering by contributing to a group.  This ranges from simple care of paint-brushes, to ordering studio materials, delivering school photography services, chairing meetings, planning exhibitions and welcoming visitors.

The relationship between adults and young people in Room 13 is fundamentally one of collaboration; acting as guides and facilitators, the adult artist nurtures the vivid, unique ideas that grow ‘from the studio floor’.

Gaining a sense of purpose is a key aspect of Room 13.  Within the safe framework provided by experienced adults, young people have the opportunity to shape their individual activity, and contribute to a creative studio community, shaping the charity as a whole.

**We’ve taken down the individual studio pages on our website. If you are involved with a Room 13 studio and would like us to replace the link to your studio page, we invite you to contact us to share a link to your current online content, or connect to the international Room 13 community via your preferred social media channel using #WeAreRoom13**