Permission2, a Bedford-based Community Interest Company, was formed in 2023 with the intention of giving members of the public a safe space and permission to play, explore, investigate, learn, have fun, and experiment through art, without any judgment.
This exciting yet natural alchemy of Performance & Word Artist Sara Turner and Visual Artist Anne-Marie Abbate combines perfectly to encourage the public to have no inhibitions about trying new ideas. Separately they have years of experience of public engagement delivery on many different creative projects.
Events & workshops
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GRT Workshop 24
In September 24 we worked alongside Central Bedfordshire Council to deliver an inclusive art workshop to the children at one of their Gypsy, Romany and Traveller sites. The children were delighted and created 'bags of stories' using wooden blocks and printing onto canvas bags whilst making up wonderful imaginative stories.
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Profess(ional) Box, River Festival 24
The Profess(ional) Box is a place people can go and profess their wins in life, no matter what they are, it could be that you learnt to tie your shoelace, or you managed to get out of bed, we don’t mind, we want to hear your professing!
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HomeTown birds, Heritage Horizons 24
We were delighted to be awarded funding from the University of Bedfordshire Heritage Horizons for our Hometown Birds project. Building on our pilot of Hometown Birds at the POP UP 23 we are focussing our project in the Pigeon Square area of Bedford, delivering workshops in the square and local cafes.
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Hometown Birds, Pop bedford 23
We’re using the humble homing pigeon as a symbol in exploring people’s heritage. The pigeons are one of the first things you see when you arrive at Bedford Bus Station which made us think, what decisions have been made in people’s families for them to move to Bedford?
Permission2 was formed in 2023 by Sara Turner and Anne-Marie Abbate. They’ve known each other for over 35 years, and, as life evolves, lost contact. However, their paths crossed again when they both attended a community arts networking event, and after being told to be quiet, they excitedly decided not to, and nurtured their relationship both personally and professionally. They both care, with a passion about bringing communities together with art, visual, performance or written, they have come together creating a safe space for participants to give themselves permission to experiment, create and explore their own creativity. Their projects engage the public and give them space and time to consider many issues from identity, heritage and wellbeing, all served up with a healthy dose of raised self-esteem.
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anne-marie abbate
Anne-Marie’s visual arts practice focuses on a multidisciplinary approach through sculpture, print, textiles, painting and collage. She often explores environmental themes and has an affinity to use discarded and found objects, studying their history and bringing them back to life to allow them to have a second chance of survival.
Anne-Marie delivers inspiring and inclusive art workshops to schools and community groups and to people of various ages and abilities. She is an associate artist with MK Gallery, The Higgins Bedford, The Panacea Museum, John Bunyan Museum and MK Arts Centre. She also curates two galleries; The Basement at Bunyan, Bedford's only Community Art Gallery and The Bluebell Gallery within Bedford Hospital which she set up in memory of her mother who was a midwife.
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Sara Turner
Sara Turner practised as a social worker before following the call of the arts. She gained a first-class honours degree in Performing Arts from De Montfort University in 2006 and has been passionate about combining both elements in her work, using arts to heal and connect. Sara has much experience with many sectors of the community.
She has worked in the community for many years delivering art projects and has worked as a performer, more recently as a devising artist/performer with the Rhiannon Faith Company with their production of Lay Down Your Burdens at the Barbican, London, for which it was Olivier nominated. She’s just completed an MA in Comedy Writing at Falmouth University.
Get in touch.
If you have a project in mind that you would like to partner on, learn more about how you can get involved in future events or to discuss the opportunities to help fund our programme, we’d love to hear from you.