I chose Leicester for several reasons. One because it is near my fundraising team in Coventry. It also happens to be in a county with an excellent track record of providing arts programmes for people with mental health conditions.
Lawrence Mathias was an obvious choice as tutor. He is experienced in teaching a wide range of client groups, often people who have been excluded. Lawrence is also a musician, animator, painter and writer with a history of successful exhibitions, community projects and short films.
The rationale behind the the project is that arts and creative opportunities play a key role in enabling recovery and coping pathways for people with mental ill health. Just as importantly, making art is something that people wish to do for their own pleasure and self-development. There is no reason why individuals shouldn't be able to take part in the arts, regardless of whether or not they experience mental ill health.
Participating in a group that meets in a mainstream community arts venue such as the Richard Attenborough centre, is part of the social inclusion remit of the project. In this way, clients are not being marginalised in day centres, clinics or hospitals. The group members choose to make artworks because of their desire and ability to create. They are not being 'measured' for the project on the basis of any medical diagnosis or history.
The project has been designed as five two-hour workshops led by Lawrence. The emphasis has been for participants to work on their own creative ideas, either individually or in collaboration. The outcome is a short animation film designed to be shown at film festivals as well as online. No specific theme was suggested so participants are able to work from their own inspiration and ideas. Many people who took part are also musicians and writers so Lawrence was able to record a wide variety of material for the film's soundtrack.
The final cut will feature harmonica, tabla, singing, ukelele, guitar, spoken word, cartoons, storytelling and a wide spectrum of visual art.
'I enjoyed each session and learnt how animation is made. Recording with Lawrence was amazing. I played harmonica and sang a song' (Rajik)
'I found the sessions very encouraging and learnt a lot about animation and recordings' (Christine)
'I enjoyed myself with art and films with music. It helped me to find out new points of view. I love seeing everyone have a good time and improving' (Mandy)
'Fantastic! I didn't know when to stop creating images. Working with Chris' words and my pictures took me back to my days in advertising. The old days of creativity came flooding back to me - brilliant!' (Martin)
'The art sessions as a mixture of pastels, crayons, charcoal, felt tips help you to create your own drawings such as landscape, simple art, portrait etc. Great communication and support. Very interesting (Vicki)
'Really enjoyed being part of the project. It has been a great opportunity to share my work with other people' (Toni)
Mental ill health affects one in four people in the course of their lives. It can happen to anyone at any time. Arts and social inclusion play key roles in helping with recovery and management of a mental health condition. Above all, people who are artists or enjoy creating artworks in any form should always feel able to participate as equals.
Many thanks to the Wesser Foundation for having the generosity and vision to provide funding for this project.
