Young People with Additional Needs (11-16yrs): Image-transfer art with Maliheh Zafarnezhad

In this calm and welcoming session led by The View from Here exhibition artist Maliheh Zafarnezhad, young people with additional needs are invited to explore Leighton House through touch, colour, and imagination.

Using a curated selection of images – historic photographs, decorative tiles, and objects from the museum – participants will learn simple image-transfer techniques to create their own mixed-media artworks using drawing, collage, and pattern play.

This workshop emphasises sensory engagement: textured papers, tactile surfaces, soft tools, and gentle materials will help artists explore art making in a way that feels accessible and enjoyable.

An accompanying adult is advised, and the atmosphere will be supportive, flexible, and paced to individual needs. No previous art experience is required, just curiosity and creativity.

Useful information:

·       This is a workshop suitable for young people aged 11-16yrs, an accompanying adult is advised.

·       All workshops take place in the Learning Centre at Leighton House.

·       All materials are provided.

·       Entry to the museum and exhibitions is included for young people joining the workshop, and their accompanying adult

Meet Maliheh Zafarnezhad

Maliheh Zafarnezhad is an Irish-Iranian artist and educator whose work explores themes of identity, memory, and cultural hybridity. Based between London and Milton Keynes, she draws on her experience as an Iranian-born artist living in the diaspora to create evocative, multi-layered visual narratives. Maliheh holds an MA in History of Art from the University of Limerick, Ireland, and a B.Sc. in Geology from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Her cross-disciplinary background informs a unique artistic approach that blends research, visual storytelling, and cultural reflection. Working primarily with photography, she reimagines old photographs by incorporating collage, painting, found objects, and stylistic elements inspired by Persian miniatures. These techniques allow her to transform archival images into contemporary reflections on personal and collective histories.

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