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Art­beat Stu­dio Inc. runs unique com­mu­ni­ty-based, self-direct­ed, peer-sup­port­ed pro­gram­ming. It pro­vides social sup­ports, work­ing art stu­dio and gallery space, and men­tor­ship for indi­vid­u­als liv­ing with men­tal ill­ness for the pur­pose of recov­ery and empow­er­ment. Art­beat Stu­dio Inc. is a not-for-prof­it reg­is­tered char­i­ty. We are com­mit­ted to decreas­ing stig­ma and dis­crim­i­na­tion that coin­cides with men­tal ill­ness and pover­ty through pos­i­tive action, men­tal health edu­ca­tion and advocacy.

Ser­vices are pro­vid­ed free of charge to par­tic­i­pants. The intend­ed ben­e­fi­cia­ries include each par­tic­i­pant artist, their care­givers, the local inner-city com­mu­ni­ty, and soci­ety as a whole.

Estab­lished in 2005, Art­beat Stu­dio is the first of its kind in Man­i­to­ba and stems from one family’s per­son­al expe­ri­ence with men­tal ill­ness. Nigel Bart, founder and long­time stu­dio facil­i­ta­tor of Art­beat Stu­dio, was diag­nosed with schiz­o­phre­nia at the age of 19 and has since used var­i­ous forms of art to help with recov­ery from the ill­ness and the stig­ma that sur­rounds it. His fam­i­ly wished to bring that access to the arts and the relat­ed men­tal health ben­e­fits to oth­ers, and so found­ed this organization.