Arts Lab

03/06/2026

Have a look at the new video short created by our Newcastle University intern, Elana Purkins , first year Fine Art. https://youtu.be/OeQ46rD55cI?si=jGZ8wV92C5Odc-21

31/05/2026

Excited for the first "Something's Gotta Give" workshop next week. Still spaces available - see the Eventbrite link below for full details and booking.

Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the first “Something’s Gotta Give” workshop next week.

This unique day offers a chance to step away from everyday pressures and explore creativity with guidance from an artist who’s spent more than 40 years teaching, making and exhibiting work. Through simple, accessible activities, you'll discover new ways of thinking, build confidence, and gain fresh perspectives.

You don't need any artistic experience. The workshop isn't about creating great art - it’s about using creativity as a tool to reflect, reconnect with what matters, and find new approaches to everyday challenges.

There are still a few places available, and discounted rates are offered for group bookings of four or more.
If you're interested, please contact me directly.
Full details and booking can be found via the Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/somethings-gotta-give-a-creative-reset-for-professionals-feeling-stuck-tickets-1987303066970

31/05/2026

Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the first “Something’s Gotta Give” workshop next week.

This unique day offers a chance to step away from everyday pressures and explore creativity with guidance from an artist who’s spent more than 40 years teaching, making and exhibiting work. Through simple, accessible activities, you'll discover new ways of thinking, build confidence, and gain fresh perspectives.

You don't need any artistic experience. The workshop isn't about creating great art - it’s about using creativity as a tool to reflect, reconnect with what matters, and find new approaches to everyday challenges.

There are still a few places available, and discounted rates are offered for group bookings of four or more.
If you're interested, please contact me directly.
Full details and booking can be found via the Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/somethings-gotta-give-a-creative-reset-for-professionals-feeling-stuck-tickets-1987303066970

25/05/2026

How telling that people from completely different walks of life keep arriving at Rural Peace Hub looking for the exact same thing:
🌿 peace🌿 quiet🌿 beauty🌿 space to breathe

Over the past couple of weeks alone, our guests have included a business director, social workers, a teacher, horticulturalists, a dentist, a tech consultant, a sustainable farming advisor, a fitness coach for corporate leaders … travelling here from around the UK, Poland, India and Pakistan.

Conversations - around the breakfast table, beside the evening fireplace, or most recently under a star-lit sky in the garden - have centred on how difficult it has become to maintain a healthy life-work balance, and how necessary it is to occasionally take time out and recharge.

This is why Arts Lab’s upcoming workshops at the Hub feel so right: “Something’s Gotta Give: A Creative Reset Awayday for Professionals Feeling Stuck or Burnt Out.”

Running from June to October, these are some of the most beautiful months to experience this off-the-beaten-track haven. Places are still available, so be sure to make your reservation if you’re in the least bit tempted!

Check out the Eventbrite link for details and booking - including dates, workshop content, approach, outcomes, testimonials, and further links.

Workshops • Exhibition • Open Studio with Sara Downham-Lotto. Reflect & recharge through guided creative practice. No art experience needed.

20/05/2026

Wondering what Arts Lab is actually like to experience? Here are a few things people have said recently:

“Stimulating, accessible, and deeply engaging.”

“Meaningful and focused, without expectations of artistic skill.”

“Completely unique - I’d never experienced anything like it before.”

Over the last few years, Arts Lab has been quietly growing - shaped by a belief that creative, thoughtful spaces matter more than ever right now. Especially for people who feel burnt out, stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from meaningful collaboration.

Our upcoming workshop, Something’s Gotta Give, is designed as a creative reset awayday for professionals who need space to think, reflect, reconnect, and reimagine what comes next. No artistic experience needed. Just curiosity, openness, and a willingness to pause for a moment.

Full details & booking via Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/somethings-gotta-give-a-creative-reset-for-professionals-feeling-stuck-tickets-1987303066970

19/05/2026

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining The Crit at Dovecote Street Arts in Amble for an informal presentation on the Rural Peace Hub.

As a conversation opener, and lead-in to much of what the Peace Hub stands for, I asked the 50-or-so attendees to find a partner in the room who they hadn’t met before, and discuss:

Does the world need more artists?

How would you go about making this happen if you had the power?

What steps could you take in your own community?

In a room full of creatives, you can imagine the animated conversation, some results of which were written on cards (images 1-3). What a world it would be, hey, if our world valued art and artists more.

14/05/2026

14/05/2026

Many of you may have seen the recent Guardian article exploring how arts and cultural engagement may help slow biological ageing and improve health outcomes.

As someone who has worked in the arts for more than 40 years - especially in the visual arts - this really resonated. Over the decades, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact creative engagement can have on individuals, workplaces, and communities.

For many of us in the sector, this simply confirms what we’ve long believed: the arts matter deeply to our wellbeing and sense of connection.

Now newly based in the North East of England, we’re looking to connect with collaborators, organisations, and communities who share this vision and want to help amplify the power of the arts.

If this speaks to you, we’d love to start a conversation.

Also. have a look also at our upcoming scheduled workshops:
‘Something’s Gotta Give: A Creative Reset Awayday for Professionals Feeling Stuck or Burnt Out’ through Eventbrite link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/somethings-gotta-give-a-creative-reset-for-professionals-feeling-stuck-tickets-1987303066970

Please feel free to message, connect, or share with someone who may be interested.

11/05/2026

Happy Monday everyone!

As our world seems increasingly fractured, Arts Lab’s small but powerful contribution to building peaceful, thriving communities feels more vital than ever.

We’d love to hear from you if, after exploring our work, you see opportunities for collaboration. Working together is what it’s all about!

03/05/2026

Meet Sara Downham-Lotto, Director of Arts Lab

Sara has led Arts Lab since 2016, developing a socially engaged practice that brings together visual art, restorative approaches, and community development.

From the Rural Peace Hub in Northumberland to projects across the UK and internationally, her work demonstrates how arts-based peacebuilding can support dialogue, foster trust, and contribute to meaningful social change.

Through workshops, collaborative initiatives, and ongoing artistic practice, Sara positions visual art not only as an aesthetic experience, but as a considered tool for connection, reflection, and community cohesion.

If you are working across the arts, education, or community sectors and share an interest in creativity as a pathway to inclusion and peace, we welcome the opportunity to connect.

To learn more about her practice, see her artist website here https://saradownhamlotto.com/
More about the Rural Peace Hub and any upcoming events, is here https://arts-lab.co.uk/rural-peace/