Creative Minds celebrates Arts in Care Homes Day!

10/01/2019

On Tuesday 24^th September we welcomed the first ever National Arts in Care Homes Day. We were thrilled to see the value of the Arts in Care being recognised across the country and many organisations got involved to celebrate. CM Artists ran sessions in care homes to mark the occasion, and for us, it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the amazing work our artists do in care settings across the country, empowering people through their sessions and spreading joy through creativity.

On the day, residents at Ardath Care Home in Bexhill (Sussex Housing) had fun with CM Artist Sarah working in wool to create bright and colourful Mexican-style wall hangings.

Up in Birmingham residents at Wilson Lodge had a messy but fabulous morning using printing inks with wooden blocks with CM Artist Deborah.

In High Wycombe, residents at Catherine Court Care Home had a relaxing morning with CM Artist Karen, creating aboriginal-style autumn leaves.

In Weston-super-Mare residents at Park House Residential Home created cocktails to decorate the home’s golden drinks cabinet with CM Artist Susannah.

Over in Derby, residents at The Laurels Nursing Home laughed and sang as they worked together to create a striking communal sunflower collage. It looks wonderful on display!

Sigita, the Manager at Ardath Care Home told us how she feels the art sessions are benefitting the residents at the home:

“The residents get so much from their art sessions – especially those living with dementia. Often relatives join in the sessions, as it gives them the chance to spend some quality time with loved ones. The social aspect really benefits the residents with lots of conversations, stories shared, plus fun and laughter.

“Many residents have never even painted before, but Sarah encourages them to give it a go, and not be too concerned with the outcome. They are always surprised and proud of what they have accomplished. We have one resident who is now blind, but Sarah kindly encouraged her to take part in a recent session and guided her along the way. She produced a truly beautiful painting and was delighted with what she had achieved!”

“The art sessions really lift the resident’s spirits and they look forward to them every week.”

To find out more about the Arts in Care Homes Day visit:
https://artsincarehomes.org.uk/

Magnificent mosaic delights residents at Cloverdale Court!

10/01/2019

CM Artist Kirsteen has been delivering art sessions at Cloverdale Court Retirement Flats in Wallington for around 6 months. This year they are celebrating 55 years since opening, so the manager got in touch with Kirsteen and commissioned her to work on a project with residents to highlight this. They decided they wanted to create a giant mosaic piece to be displayed on the garden wall.

Kirsteen chatted to the residents to see what they all wanted to feature in the mosaic. They all agreed on a forest theme, which would include woodland wildlife. Kirsteen then took the time to create a beautiful design for everyone to work on, and over the following 4 weeks residents came together to work on this engaging project. Kirsteen provided all the materials and they were each given their own piece of the mosaic to create. They were so pleased to see it all come together in the final week, and the staff were absolutely thrilled with how it turned out!

The manager at Cloverdale Court said;

“The residents really loved working on the project – in fact they didn’t want it to end! All were delighted with the final outcome, and it looks wonderful on display in the garden. The residents got so much out of working on this project.

“Many of their flats look out into the garden where they can enjoy seeing this wonderful piece on display, and they couldn’t be more proud. It’s great to watch the residents stopping to admire it. Visitors have paid loads of compliments on the mosaic too!”

Charmaine, Arnold House’s shining star!

10/01/2019

For two and half years, CM Artist Hanna has been running art sessions at Arnold House, Leonard Cheshire, a facility for people with profound physical disabilities. During that time she formed a strong bond with one resident, Charmaine, who’s sheer determination and strength of character never ceased to amaze her. Charmaine has cerebral palsy and is unable to move from the neck down. Despite her physical challenges, she is always enthusiastic and willing to give anything a go.

When they first met, Hanna gently encouraged her to try holding a paintbrush in her mouth and experiment with mark-making, as she held out the paper for her to paint on. At the end of her first session she was thrilled with what she had achieved. Since then, Hanna has been delighted to see Charmaine’s confidence in her creative ability blossom. Each week she loves learning about different creative mediums and is always enthusiastic to try something new.

Charmaine attended our recent workshop at the Tate Exchange and really got stuck in, painting feathers for a peacock sculpture and flowers for the installation. She couldn’t have been more excited to see some of her own creations on display at the Tate. The look of pure joy and happiness at what she had achieved at the end of the day was absolutely priceless!

CM Artist Hanna commented; “Charmaine is such a vibrant, fun and happy person. She is like a shining star and always makes me feel incredibly humble.”

The Tate Exchange project took place from Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th May and was a huge success! Thank you again to all of the CM Artists and their clients that attended.

You can find our earlier Tate Exchange blog post here:
http://159.65.94.31/creative-minds-at-the-tate-exchange/