Arts & Health South West has released a toolkit on collaborative working between youth, artists, and cultural institutions to support programmes of creativity, wellbeing, and volunteering. The 85-page guide is based on lessons learned from ‘Reach In Reach Out’ (RIRO), which brought together young people, artists, creative producers, and researchers across four sites and seven … Continue reading
Filed under Arts & Health …
Benefits of arts engagement in older adults
There is growing evidence for the impact of arts engagement on later life cognition. This latest paper published in the Creativity Research Journal suggests that 1 hr per week of active participation can improve executive function and language, while receptive arts activities could support better memory as well as executive function/language.
Celebrating Age with music
In Autumn / Winter 2022, Wiltshire Music Centre launched a new initiative to distribute their concert livestreams to care settings throughout the county. We are delighted to announce that they will be continuing to offer this programme into Spring / Summer 2023 and invite more organisations to join in to experience the joys of live music wherever … Continue reading
Celebrating Age Wiltshire Creative Conversations
Creative Conversations at Wiltshire Music Centre provide individual participants with weekly one to one conversations over a 10-week period: 5 sessions with a creative artist face to face and 5 sessions with a volunteer (these are on the phone) to develop their interests, skills, well-being, and creativity. Particularly aimed at older people who are isolated and housebound, … Continue reading
Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance – From Surviving to Thriving: Building a model for sustainable practice in creativity and mental health
This new Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance report is the result of a six-month project funded by the Baring Foundation, working with around 150 practitioners to understand how we might help more people and organisations using creativity to support mental health to thrive. At the heart of the report are a series of recommendations for five groups: practitioners, commissioning organisations … Continue reading
ALEX – An interactive online dance production exploring mental health and the inner voice Created by Caldonia Walton & Kathy Richardson 3-31 March 2022
Shining a light on the mental health of young people, digital dance film ALEX draws on personal experiences and research with a youth group, hospital and school to tell a story of three characters with the same name. Interweaving contemporary dance, text and poetry with an original score, ALEX has been adapted from the original … Continue reading
The cultural sector and social prescribing for older people
As part of the further research into the effectiveness of social prescribing, a team from Oxford, Plymouth and UCL were funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to look at the effectiveness of cultural institutions as social prescribing venues to improve older people’s well-being in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more.
Salisbury Group of Artists Annual Winter Exhibition 2 December to 7 January
Salisbury Group of Artists’ varied and colourful artworks will be enhancing the corridors of Salisbury District Hospital, where their Annual Winter Exhibition is being showcased throughout the festive season. The subject matter of the many paintings on display is varied and provides interest for all viewers. This long-standing exhibition has for many years contributed to … Continue reading
Call out for Arts and Health Practitioners…
Call out for an Arts and Health practitioner, with experience in mental health contexts to work with Luke Brown Dance, testing workshop engagement for the Walk of the Dandelion project. To collaborate with the company to devise and deliver test workshops making dandelions and talking about resilience and hope. £1000 fee for approximately 5 days work. … Continue reading
Celebrating Age Wiltshire outdoor concerts reach over 1,200 people!
Throughout the pandemic, Celebrating Age Wiltshire has continued to support isolated older people, including those who have been shielding at home and going through loneliness and bereavement. Working with local artists, the project has offered over 40 vulnerable people one-on-one Creative Conversations by phone, and performed to over 1,200 people with doorstep performances from musical … Continue reading
The Arts in Wiltshire 