About us
Studio 3 Arts is a leading socially-engaged participatory arts organisation based in Barking & Dagenham. Working with communities across East London, our programme spans all visual, digital and performing arts.
We bring together artists and communities to collaborate and create change in art and society.
Our inclusive programme is created by and for local people to entertain, engage with social issues, empower communities and nurture emerging artists. From free workshops and exhibitions, to live theatre, music, dance and more, there are opportunities for everyone to participate and be inspired by the arts.
Working through strategic partnerships we aim to unlock the creativity of local people, whilst discovering new and emerging artists. By encouraging an interest in the arts, and offering new transformative experiences, we want to improve individual lives, reduce social exclusion, and help build stronger communities.
Studio 3 Arts is a company limited by guarantee, a registered charity and an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for 2023-26. It is a member of the Independent Theatre Council (ITC).
We have now moved back in to our Barking home and venue, following its £1.8m transformation into a world-class arts centre for the people of Barking & Dagenham.
Studio 3 Arts was established in 1987 by a group of young graduates from Barking College performing arts department. They were frustrated by the lack of local arts opportunities and decided to develop a project to meet this need.
35 years on and Studio 3 Arts is at the forefront of socially-engaged arts and plays an integral part in bringing the arts to local people.
Central to Studio 3 Arts’ work is the flagship youth project Big Deal. Using high-quality contemporary art forms to engage with young people aged 8 – 19, participants work with top industry professionals from a range of art forms including drama, street dance and music.
Studio 3 Arts’ vision is a world where everyone has access to outstanding arts, regardless of economic or social-cultural background.
Our mission is to place local people at the centre of everything we do. We are ambitious and aim to create brilliant, challenging and relevant work that acknowledges and responds to the barriers that prevent arts participation.
