London-based artist Liz Atkin creates work both in response to and as way of coping with compulsive skin picking. Alistair Gentry finds out more about her art practice, and the advocacy and education work she undertakes to help others understand and deal with this and other body-focused repetitive behaviour conditions.
Since the early 1970s, Bobby Baker has been producing art that documents and subverts her experiences of everyday life, drawing on motherhood, domestic labour, and mental illness and recovery. Speaking to Lydia Ashman, Baker reflects on the challenges she faced as a woman and an artist, her successes and why she’s ‘proudest of keeping going’.
Based on conversations with artists, Alistair Gentry reflects on the stigma that still exists around mental health, and discusses some of the coping strategies artists use in their work and careers when affected by mental health problems.
The Bethlem Gallery in Bromley provides a professional platform for artists who have experienced mental health difficulties. Alistair Gentry speaks to the gallery’s director Beth Elliot about the organisation and how it fosters a supportive artist-focussed environment.
Hospital Rooms is an arts and mental health charity that believes in the enduring power of the arts to instill value, dignity and wellbeing in people. Alistair Gentry speaks to Curator Niamh White about how the project enables access to art and culture for people using secure and locked mental health services.
Alistair Gentry offers guidance on what support is available for artists and others with mental health problems.
It was a good trip to London for the Carers UK AGM, located in Canary Wharf, with some good speakers. See this blog. Whilst in London, I took the opportunity to see some related exhibitions at the Wellcome Collection, Being […]
Drawing with movement was our second session and we introduced it by looking at artists that use bodily movement to create drawings. A record of an artists physical action. Susan Morris’ ‘Plumbline drawing’, her flicks of graphite covered thread on […]
Nicola Naismith’s report, undertaken as part of her AHRC funded research supported by Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, is concerned with the issue of affective support that artists working in health care settings are currently able to access.
For our first Session, we had a lot of paperwork to get done and wanted to have a chilled out session, where new people could explore the farm surroundings and start to get to know each other. One of the […]
Balance is key when writing up a research study, deciding on what to include and what to leave out: how to communicate survey data, information from interviews and insights from existing literature and knowledge. It’s a complex and demanding job […]
As a teaching artist, I am always looks for ways to improve the quality of their drawing and painting skills, as well as their well-being.
Using art as a form of therapy
Piece Hall Wellbeing & Community Festival, Halifax, 20 & 21 July 2019 Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm We excited to be interviewing participants and visitors at the ucpoming Wellbeing & Community Festival at the Piece Hall in […]
Over the past few months I have worked with staff and patients in critical care, changing the environment with light, colour and projected imagery. One patient I met, and have worked with closely, was admitted in June 2018 and has […]
We were at Sheffield Railway Station with our partner Penistone Line Partnership on Wednesday 15th May for Community Rail in the City 2019 The event was promoting the work of the local community rail partnerships and we had some copies […]
Last week I spent the day in critical care at James Cook University Hospital and presented the project to staff, patients and visitors. It was a fantastic opportunity to share ideas and receive feedback on work in progress. There is […]
My Artists Practising Well research report, published on the the Robert Gordon University Open Air research repository, is now available to read and download. The research is focused on affective support for creative practitioners working in participatory arts for health […]
Dwell Time at South Square Wellbeing Weekend Excited to announce that Dwell Time will be at South Square Wellbeing Weekend with some copies of Issue 1 and inviting people to participate in interviews about mental wellbeing for Issue 2! South […]
This week’s selection includes exhibitions and publication launches in Cardiff, West Yorkshire, London and Newbury, all taken from a-n’s Events section featuring shows and events posted by a-n members.
In July last year the Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing report was published detailing the evidence base for the benefits to health and wellbeing from participating in the arts. As this evidence base continues to grow a question arrises: […]
In a new a-n Resources profile to coincide with Bobby Baker’s 14–18 NOW commission ‘Great & Tiny War’ – the run for which has just been extended – Lydia Ashman talks to the artist about her experiences of the mental health system and the need to address ‘transgenerational trauma’.
