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You: Your Art (2020)

March - September 2020

A pilot programme of arts activities designed to promote wellbeing and resilience for residents in North Tyneside suffering from poor mental health.

Artwork by a You: Your Art participant

Contexts:

Arts and Health / COVID-19

Tags:

You: Your Art took place at home, online, in safe supported groups using ‘at home ingredients’. Weekly group sessions acknowledged personal progression and encourage supportive peer critique.

The summer 2020 programme of online workshops for North Tyneside residents ran for 12 weeks, from Tuesday 23 June until Tuesday 8 September 2020. Every week artist Claire Ford worked with participants to explore a range of mindful visual arts; print, typography, collage, mandalas etc. to develop personal creative journals. Jessica Kinnersley also joined as a guest artist to share line drawing techniques.

People taking part learned new skills, shared ‘work in progress’, and also enjoyed a social, relaxed virtual space to view and acknowledge each others’ journeys and stories as demonstrated by their creative expression. The programme culminated in an online ‘virtual gallery’, sharing the group’s artwork and reflections on their experiences of You:Your Art.

“Thankyou, I’ve finally found the courage to go my own way and develop my style that I can actually say I’m happy with”

Group participant

“It has reignited my love for doing/creating, when all I was doing was sitting & worrying”

Group participant

“It was lovely – it felt as though we made it together and not on my own”

Group participant

Read more about the 2020 project in the participant case study.