Studio 306 Collective, Chocolate Factory 1
With all the ups and downs that working in the arts entails, sometimes it’s easy to forget about the catharsis and feeling of satisfaction that producing your own artworks can provide. For Collective 306, though, the therapeutic aspects are always at the forefront of their work. Resident in the Chocolate Factory for 15 years, the collective was set up by experienced artists looking to share the benefit of their expertise with members of the community they felt could really use it, specifically people enduring, or recovering from, problems with their mental health. Through screen printing, and making jewellery, ceramics, and textiles, they have helped hundreds of people find new inspiration and confidence, and garnered a great reputation and some friends in high places to boot. Last summer, Studio 306 Collective were awarded lottery funding for the Mental Health Well Being project, and were visited in their studio over the Chocolate Factory Open Studios weekend by local MP Lynne Featherstone, who was thoroughly impressed by what she saw. Their selection of cards, bags, ceramics, textiles and jewellery are the perfect mix of charity and artistry and are available to buy in Karamel restaurant at Chocolate Factory 2 or from Studio 306 directly and via their online shop:
