Anita and Emile Woolf established Maxability in 2009 to enhance the lives of disabled adults in London’s Borough of Barnet through creativity. It was born out of their lived experience as parents of a disabled son.
Maxability’s mission is to enable people to realise their creative potential through art and ceramics classes.
It offers regular studio-based ceramics classes every week for a range of disabled and older people, those with additional needs and those who are socio-economically excluded.
Through these classes, people learn creative skills, are able to express themselves creatively, and produce artistic works of a high standard, which gives them a sense of achievement and builds their confidence. Learning and working together helps them overcome social isolation and stigmatisation and improves their overall well-being.
Maxability runs a range of weekly classes at its base, the Flightways Centre on Grahame Park Estate in Colindale, which has a fully equipped ceramics studio with two kilns. Classes are run by two experienced artists/tutors and a studio assistant. There are classes for people with physical and learning disabilities, including those with mental health issues and with Autism Spectrum Disorder; general admission classes, and classes for local people from the estate who are on low incomes, including women and older people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Currently, there are five regular classes/all-day sessions a week.
