At Baytree, we believe that every girl deserves the chance to discover what she is capable of. Sometimes, that belief is confirmed in the most beautiful and unexpected ways.
Earlier this year, we partnered with Space to Dream Gallery, London’s first permanent gallery dedicated to children’s art, to deliver a five week art programme to the girls in our Youth Service. What started as a series of creative sessions ended with something none of us will forget — a real, public exhibition of the girls’ work, displayed on the walls of a professional gallery in Brixton for the world to see.
This is the story of how it happened, told in part by the people who made it possible: Fran and Morgane, the founders of Space to Dream Gallery.
A Programme Built to Inspire
The programme was carefully designed to take the girls on a creative journey, from initial concept all the way through to a curated exhibition. Each session introduced a new medium, pushing the girls to experiment and explore.
“Our five session programme was carefully structured to take the girls from initial concept to a professional exhibition, encouraging them to experiment with new media each week,” Fran explains.
It began with a visit to the gallery itself, where the girls saw the space they would eventually exhibit in and collectively chose Nature as the theme for their work. From there, the sessions built on each other — painting first, then collage, then embroidery stitched directly onto the canvas. A bonus ceramics session, led by local artist Claudette Forbes, gave the girls the chance to work in an entirely different medium altogether.
“The core inspiration for the programme was multimedia experimentation and pushing past the boundaries of traditional drawing or painting,” says Fran. “We deliberately introduced a diverse range of materials, combining paint, collage, textiles through embroidery, and eventually clay.”
From Hesitation to Resilience
Not everything came easily, and that was entirely the point.
“When the girls first joined us, there was definitely a bit of hesitation,” Morgane recalls. “They were sometimes challenged by trying mediums they weren’t used to or pushed out of their comfort zones by exploring a different aesthetic than what they normally did.”
But something shifted over the weeks. The hesitation gave way to determination, and the determination gave way to something remarkable.
“Over the course of the project, that initial challenge turned into resilience. They leaned into the unfamiliar processes, and by the end, every single one of them pushed through their doubts to produce a truly great canvas.”
The Moments That Stayed With Us
When we asked Fran and Morganne about the moments that stood out most, they pointed to the times of friction — the exact moments where things felt hard, and the girls pushed through anyway.
“Watching the girls face a technique like embroidery, that felt difficult or unfamiliar, and seeing the exact moment they figured it out, was incredibly exciting,” they said.
There was also something unexpected in how the work evolved. What began as individual interpretations of Nature gradually became something much bigger and more cohesive.
“Because everyone’s artwork was so varied, watching the entire collection naturally shift and evolve into a cohesive exhibition about the Environment was a brilliant, unexpected breakthrough.”
Seeing Their Work on the Wall
The final session brought the girls back to the gallery, this time not as visitors but as curators. They designed the wall where their work would hang and took ownership of the show from start to finish.
And when the exhibition opened, the response was everything.
“The girls who were able to attend the opening events were filled with a deep sense of pride,” says Morgane “Seeing their work beautifully hung on the gallery walls, which they had helped design and curate, made them realise the value of what they had created. That pride extended beautifully to their families, who came to celebrate them and saw just how much hard work and creativity they had poured into the project.”
Why Partnerships Like This Matter
We are incredibly proud of everything our girls achieve at Baytree. But the truth is, programmes like this one are only possible because of partners who share our belief in what young people are capable of.
Space to Dream did not just run an art workshop. They gave our girls a professional space, a real audience, and the message that their creativity has weight and their ideas have value.
“It matters because it can change their perspective on what they are capable of. By giving them access to a professional gallery space and new materials, we show them that their ideas have weight. It gives them a safe environment to be challenged, to try things they aren’t used to, and to realise that pushing through creative frustration leads to something they can be immensely proud of.”
We could not agree more. And we are so grateful to Fran and Morgane for making this possible. Partnerships like this one are at the heart of what Baytree is about — bringing together people and organisations who believe that every girl, regardless of her background or circumstances, deserves the chance to discover what she is made of.
The exhibition may have closed, but the impact it had on our girls will stay with them long after the walls are bare.
Written by: Gisela Testa
