PAPERARTS HAS CLOSED. READ THE STATEMENT FROM OUR BOARD →

Read our blog →

Get free resources →

Proudly based in St Pauls, Bristol

Unfold your future.

We help 18-30 year olds build a network and establish a creative career.

Creativity shapes our world

Industry knowledge, mentoring and creative expertise

Hello, we’re PAPER Arts and we believe that creativity shapes the world around us!

We aim to empower young people like you to develop the personal and professional skills needed to establish a career in the creative sector, whether that’s landing your dream job or becoming self-employed

Need help networking as a creative?

Check out our latest blog post for our top tips.

Inclusivity for the arts

We believe in every artist

We invest in your future because we want the creative sector to flourish.

We want to see diverse voices having a chance to be heard and thats why we work with people from all backgrounds.

We want to live in a world where creativity is valued, so that everyone can lead a meaningful life.

LONG TERM CREATIVE BUSINESS SUPPORT

Our membership programme provides specialised content tailored to the needs of our community.

Creative Enterprise Course

A week-long practical programme to support creative entrepreneurs.

Online resources

Access bespoke content delivered by experienced creatives, any time, anywhere.

Unfold your future

build a network and establish a creative career

PAPER is dedicated to making you feel seen. We work with individuals from all creative backgrounds, focusing on the soft skills you need to build your career and linking you up with creatives who understand your journey.

Listening to creatives

Every thing we do is led by what our community tells us they need.

Read what some of our alumni and partners have to say

Michelle Curtis

“Paper Arts have successfully positioned themselves in a niche market. They provide emerging creatives with a network of professionals within the creative industry that are able to provide insight, knowledge and support, specific to the creative industry.”

PAPER Collective Facilitator

Charly Evans

“PAPER Arts mission is to break down some of the barriers young people face on their journey to working within the creative arts industry. The organisation provides an opportunity for creatives to develop the professional skills they need to promote their talents.”

Board Member

Sign Up for our mailing list

Be the first to hear about our new courses, and get access to free online resources to build you business skills.

The Paper Arts Blog

Check back every month to see what we are discussing on the blog. Here we tackle the issues that creative at all stages of their careers suffer with the most, from knowing what to charge to finding clients.

Uncategorized

Time for change? 6 easy steps you can take now to steer your career

1 September 2021

Uncategorized

8 great steps to building an audience on instagram

1 August 2021

Uncategorized

Networking: 10 steps to making great connections as a creative

1 July 2021

Uncategorized

Pride Month : How 1 amazing drag performer used her art to overcome her anxiety

21 June 2021

Sponsorship, Partners & Funders

Support UK creatives

Join our mission and become a PAPER Arts Partner. With your support, we can help even more creatives from across the UK build their career or grow their own business.

Donations, sponsorship, volunteering and skill shares are essential to PAPER Arts, and we’d love to welcome you to our family.

Just some of our partner organisations

The future of paper arts

PAPER Arts has been in hibernation since September 2021 while our voluntary board tried to find new ways to survive the adversities of the recent years. However, it is with heavy hearts that we share the news with you that PAPER Arts has now closed. The Board of Directors and so many of our wonderful team members over the last 9 years have poured so much into this organisation – but the time has come to say goodbye for good.

Like many arts organisations, PAPER Arts has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, funding cuts and team changes, which has put significant pressure on our ability to develop and grow. This decision has not been taken lightly – we have been unable to secure the funding necessary to provide our organisation with much needed financial stability.

PAPER Arts started in 2015 in the heart of Bristol’s city centre in response to lack of opportunities for young creatives in the city. As a youth-led organisation from the outset, its vision was of a world where creativity is valued, so that young people feel empowered to do what they love for a living! Our mission was to build young creatives’ confidence, resilience, networks and skills by providing creative enterprise training, industry knowledge and paid opportunities.

PAPER Arts would be nothing without the people who have worked with us over the years! Their passion, motivation and creativity has been the driving force behind the many projects we have achieved. We want to say a big shout out to all of the amazing organisations who have collaborated with us, supported us, funded us and worked alongside us (too many to list here). We wouldn’t have been able to work with so many incredible young people if it weren’t for you. Thank you all!

A final shout out to St Paul’s which has been our home for the past 5 years. There are phenomenal organisations that we have had the pleasure of connecting with, namely Docklands Youth Centre and Aspiration Creation Elevation (ACE). As a Community Interest Company we will be passing on all our assets to ACE who also support creative young people in St Pauls.

We are so grateful for almost a decade of working with Bristol’s brilliant young creatives. We are thankful for every single person who came on a PAPER Arts course, followed our journey and supported us along the way. We are so proud of the impact our small but mighty organisation has made over the years. Although this is the end of PAPER Arts, our passion and drive to advocate for young people’s voices to be centred and a more equitable creative sector continues. Our website and all the resources it hosts will also remain freely accessible for the next 3 years, so follow the link in our bio to check these out.

Big Love
PAPER Arts