Removing barriers to making art for those with intellectual disabilities and other marginalised people.

Since 2014 The White Room has grown from a few art supplies in a chest on wheels to a dedicated community studio. Seeing the impact art was having on the people they worked with at SkillWise the team advocated for a dedicated space. At the time each room was painted a different colour and the space allocated was the room painted white, and so ‘The White Room’ was born.

In 2024 The White Room moved to the Climate Action Campus on Avonside Drive, Christchurch - Ōtautahi occupying a large classroom which provides increased space enabling over 50 Artists to participate. Additionally, we began an Outreach Project using Ōtautahi as one big creative space and building relationships with a diverse range of people and organisations expanding our reach to connect with new Artists who face barriers and to enabling a wider range of people to participate in arts and creative activities.

Our Artists face many barriers to accessing conventional educational and professional development because of their learning disabilities, socioeconomic situations, or physical disabilities.

The White Room’s vision is to enable our Artists to achieve their artistic and economic aspirations, and work within the artistic community to do so.