ArtFULL
ArtFULL was a collaborative action research project embedding artists at Pen Green Centre for Children and Their Families, supported by public funding through Arts Council England.
ArtFULL film
The documentary film can be viewed below:
Executive Summary
ArtFULL was an action research project exploring the impact of embedding artists within an early years setting over one academic year. Delivered in partnership between Pen Green Centre for Children and their Families and Pen Green Research, Development and Training Base, and Made With Many, the project positioned artists as relational practitioners working alongside children, families and staff as part of everyday provision.
At the heart of the project was the role of an Anchor Artist, embedded within the centre’s leadership, practice and research culture. This role was supported by additional specialist artists working across movement, materials and storytelling. Rather than delivering short-term workshops, artists were integrated into daily life at the centre: attending meetings, co-planning with staff, facilitating creative provocations, and engaging informally with children and families.
The project addressed a pressing context: high levels of social deprivation, a significant proportion of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Early Health Care plans, and increasing concerns about emotional regulation, communication and wellbeing in early childhood following the COVID-19 pandemic. Artfull explored whether sustained artistic presence could support children’s emotional connection, communication and relationships across an early years integrated centre.
Using an action research methodology and reflexive thematic analysis, the project gathered video, audio and reflective data across three iterative cycles. Analysis was informed by relational theory, psychoanalytic perspectives on containment and emotional regulation, and Colwyn Trevarthen’s theory of companionship.
Key outcomes included
- Children demonstrated increased emotional expressivity, confidence in embodied communication, and early forms of empathy and co-regulation.
- Children with SEND, English as an Additional Language (EAL), and quieter communicative styles were consistently recognised as intentional communicators through movement, gesture and rhythm.
- Practitioners shifted from primarily instructional roles toward embodied, relational participation, developing greater tolerance for uncertainty and improvisation.
- Creative spaces became recognised not only as artistic environments but as emotional containers supporting regulation, trust and belonging.
- The embedded artist model acted as a catalyst for pedagogical change, while also surfacing challenges around sustainability, emotional labour and institutional integration.
ArtFULL demonstrates that embedding artists in early years settings can transform not only creative provision, but the relational ecology of learning itself. The project offers evidence for the value of long-term, research-informed, place-based artistic practice in early childhood, aligned closely with the priorities of Arts Council England.
For access to the full evaluation report, please contact info@madewithmany.org
Who was involved?
Resident Creative Team: Liz Clark, Sophie Cullinan and Mike Payton.
Visiting Artists: Roma Patel, Alice Shepperson, Ashley Jordan and Sophie Loosemore.
Research Team: Fliss Dewsbery, Emma Hewitt, Becky Elliott and Katie Byers.
Project Team: Vicky Frayard, Angela Prodger, Tracy Gallagher and Flavia Ribeiro.
