As we gear up for a summer bursting with blockbuster exhibitions and gallery openings, it’s easy to get swept up in the big names and bold canvases. But closer to home, in the heart of the community, is a space where art isn’t just something to admire – it’s a lifeline.
Founded by artist Adrienne Konviser, Art Hub LDN is a creative studio in Mill Hill offering art classes and workshops for children, adults and families. The Hub, which welcomes more than 200 people each week, champions art as a tool for emotional wellbeing, mental health support and personal growth.
Whether it’s a child building confidence through colour, an adult finding calm in the flow of paint, or families reconnecting away from screens, the Art Hub proves how powerful creativity can be.
Adrienne launched Art Hub LDN from her garden in 2017 and last year moved to a larger studio in Mill Hill. She says: “I set up Art Hub because I wanted to create the kind of space that I was searching for myself — somewhere people could create without judgment or pressure. Art has always been my therapy, and I saw how powerful it could be for others too. My mantra is simple: art is for everyone.”
Television star Rachel Riley met Adrienne at a children’s party, where her daughters Maven (5) and Noa (3) were drawn to the arts and crafts table that “Adi”, as she is known, was running. Not long after, she and her husband, Strictly Come Dancing’s Pasha Kovalev, booked a family session where Adrienne guides families to create a collaborative large-scale canvas to hang in their home.
Rachel Riley, Pasha Kovalev and their two children took part in one of the Art Hub’s popular family sessions
“What’s lovely is that you don’t need to be artistic,” says Rachel. “I was worried we’d create something we wouldn’t want to hang up! But it turned out beautifully. We included our initials, Magen Davids, silhouettes of the girls… it’s a really meaningful piece that we will love having on our wall.”
Rachel says it was a chance to see their daughters’ personalities shine through. “One of them got stuck in straight away, hands covered in paint, while the other waited for instructions. It was so special to see that come out through their art.”
Adrienne’s studio motto reads: “Trust the Process”—and for families like Rachel’s, that process is proving to be as powerful as the art itself.
Asher Daleski has blossomed under Adi’s guidance
For nine-year-old Asher Daleski and his family, Art Hub LDN has become a “a safe zone where he can thrive,” says his mother Steph.
Following an ADHD diagnosis, Asher has attended regular art classes and holiday camps at the Hub. “Under the expert guidance of Adi, he’s blossomed both emotionally and artistically. When he enters the space, he just becomes enriched – anxiety fades and self-confidence shines. He is able to self-regulate so much better after an art class.”
But what makes the experience truly unique is that it’s not just Asher who attends. His 63-year-old grandmother Martine Wulfsohn also takes part in sessions. “It’s a gorgeous experience that they share and chat about,” says Steph. “They write love letters to each other on the walls of the Hub.”
Tessa Samuels was around seven months pregnant with her second son when she started at the Hub. Although she didn’t realise it at the time, Tessa was struggling with depression. “Adi asked me if I was ok and suggested I go see my GP. She was right, and I was able to start getting the help that I needed,” Tessa shares.
Tessa found the Art Hub a welcoming, judgment-free space but at first, she struggled to create. “I wasn’t myself and I just couldn’t produce the work I had done previously.” But through Adi’s encouragement and ‘process art’ exercises, she “soon found myself creating abstract pieces that were my own. Mixing colours brings me a sense of calm.”
After her son was born, Tessa experienced postnatal depression, and the Hub became a refuge. “It was a dark time. The colour and space Adi provided each week was my escape into colour and zero expectations.”
Even during Covid lockdowns, Adi kept the community alive online, offering a vital lifeline through art and connection.
Kate Lawler with husband Martin Bojtos and their daughter Noa during an Art Hub family session
TV presenter Kate Lawler was inspired to visit the Art Hub after a friend raved about the family session they had done. Kate loved “the idea of creating a piece of art with my family that we could actually frame and put on the wall. Once I saw the incredible pieces Adi had helped other families create, I booked straight in.”
Kate says the session was a “fun and interesting experience” where the focus was on freedom, connection, and creativity.
Attending sessions at the Art Hub helped mum-to-be Georgia Cantor through her pregnancy sickness
Mum-to-be Georgia Cantor, 28, found her way to the Art Hub during a challenging period early in her pregnancy, when severe nausea often left her unable to leave the house.
“It was tough physically and eventually became difficult mentally too,” says Georgia. A friend who was attending regular sessions suggested she come along. “I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in 10 years but remembered how much fun and also meditative I used to find it, so I felt this was a perfect time to get back in front of the canvas.”
Beyond rediscovering her creativity, the Art Hub provided Georgia with “a sense of community and a creative outlet at a time when I was struggling to interact with people much due to my condition,” she says. “The short two-hour bursts once a week were so cathartic and just what I needed.”
Reconnecting with painting made a big difference to her mental wellbeing. “I was able to completely immerse myself in the paints and colours and remember why I’d loved painting so much all those years ago.”
Caroline Lisberg started going to the Art Hub in 2023 following the sudden death of her mother. Searching for a way to feel closer to her, Caroline turned to creativity – something her mother had always loved.
“At my first session I ended up in tears trying to explain why I was there. Adi has this amazing way of making you feel like you can do anything – even when you’re convinced you can’t. She kept reassuring me, encouraging me to ‘trust the process’, as she always says. I’m definitely no Picasso, but I truly believe that everyone has a bit of creativity inside them, and with Adi’s help, you just might find yours too.”
