Over the years, I have experience facilitating creative workshops alongside many different individuals and groups. This includes working with older adults with dementia; women survivors of domestic abuse; people who have a learning disability and/or autism; people living and coping with long-term illnesses and/or chronic pain; patients who are recovering from brain injuries; facilitating art workshops with children; and many more.
In each dropdown is a handful of imagery exhibiting the beautiful participant work over the years, each artwork holds a story and memory of each person that I will never forget. All photographs are used with the permission of participants.
Facilitation of therapeutic workshops
Designed to meet the needs of a specific participant group.
Projects grow and evolve naturally over time, led by those involved. The pieces created hold our time spent together, but it is the process that makes it.
Through facilitating art workshops that are person-centred, the aim of my role as a Creative and Therapeutic Arts Practitioner is to nurture the connection, therapeutic and holistic effects making and creative expression can form.
I aim to create collectively a calm, non-judgemental, empathetic, and supportive creative environment for each person. To actively listen, talk and be beside one another is of huge value in each session. This nurtures a space to encourage the expression of what I believe we all have in us- our innate creativity- welcoming and celebrating whatever way that manifests for each of us.
Facilitating workshops with service users at the Wellness Improvement Service, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (WISE CMT), NHS (Bridgend and Rhydyfelin, Nov-Dec 2023)
Four weeks facilitating alongside groups of people who attend the Wellness Improvement Service Programme, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Creations included lino cards, origami cranes, sun catchers, notebooks, decorations, affirmations and many more, each participant brought their own unique set of interests and skills to share with one another. Driving the sessions and what made it special was the people; human connection, having a couple of hours in the day to connect and talk. Making with our hands eased this process even more. It was reflected that having a time to pause and ‘create’ is something that we don’t allow ourselves to do enough, and was highly valued, and needs to continue. This process aids taking one's mind off things such as chronic pain, which many members of the groups live with. People reflected that they found themselves immersed in making and gained confidence in their art making, coming home with something they have made and taking back materials to continue. Four weeks was not long enough! Many of the people reported they will miss these workshops, but I will miss them more.
Facilitating workshops alongside patients in the Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP)Ward, University Hospital Llandough, (Cardiff, May 2023)
A project working in Cardiff's Llandough hospital, with those living with dementia.
As a group of several Creative and Therapeutic Arts students, we both attended dementia awareness training courses, and got to know the ward and patients' interests via staff, to aid the design of two workshops for people on the male MHSOP ward, creating activity packs and materials to be left and used for patients' creative enjoyment beyond the workshops. Conversation, story sharing and making was had all round. A lot was learned about patients through the artmaking activity that staff on the ward didn't yet know, highlighting the therapeutic benefits creativity can have on connection, conversation and wellbeing. We also collaborated with the hospital's Hearth Gallery, making artworks based on interactions with patients on the MHSOP wards and celebrating 75 years of the NHS and the amazing staff, exhibiting our work between 10th May-19th June, 2023, where both staff and patients came to enjoy the artwork.
The painting I created (Whilst at Sea, acrylic on wood, 2023, 40 cm x 81 cm) was inspired by a wonderful interaction I had with one man on the ward. Over watercolour paints and tea, he taught me about the precision of painting and shared stories of his life. He told me about sailing with his father and brother on the ocean where he grew up. He was born in Dominica in the West Indies. I spent time and slowed down, remembering what he had taught me. During the process, I was inspired by the music of Dominica and its ocean. I later added a poem, using words and thoughts I had gathered from our conversations. It was delightful that he was there during our celebration and exhibition opening to cut the ribbon and unveil the artworks!
https://cardiffandvale.art/2023/05/15/affinity-a-celebration-of-connection/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co1wLOhAfXi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsRVI1hKv3c/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==
'Reconnect': A Live Art Event, Treforest, May 2023
A one day collaborative 'Live Art' event, hosted by a group of artists alongside myself, amongst the woodlands with people connecting and creating together. We created a space in nature on our university campus, clearing rubbish and pathways, for people to reconnect with the earth, creativity, each other and themselves. Clay, paint seed bombs, fabrics, fresh nettle tea were provided, and participants had the choice of how they'd like to interact with the space.
RCT Domestic Abuse Services, November 2022 -January 2023
A nine week project working alongside survivors of domestic abuse.
This was a time and a space to connect over tea, to chat, to make something tangible for oneself to keep, share skills and interests, a time to pause and get immersed in making. The time spent here was so wonderful, great connections were formed, seeing a growing pride and confidence in participants' artmaking.
Creations included dream catchers and mobiles, positive affirmation calendars and decorations, adding to an art board to celebrate artworks and encourage others to join, centrepieces and many more.
Dinosaur/Fossil Dreamcatcher Workshop, Grangetown Art Trail, Cardiff, July 2022
My first solo design and delivery of a ‘Make your own Jurassic Dreamcatcher’ in collaboration with grass-roots community arts initiative Grangetown Art Trail/ Grangetown Zoo for the local community. Families came and made beautiful Jurassic-themed dreamcatchers and spent time relaxing in the Psychic Garden, a haven in the middle of Grangetown.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgGgXcYqn9L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Co-facilitating creative workshops with Hijinx Theatre, Odyssey, November-December 2021
Alongside a one-off workshop designed in small groups of the Creative and Therapeutic Arts cohort, we helped co-facilitate creative workshops with Hijinx Theatre Group, Odyssey, an inclusive community theatre group for neurodivergent adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Inspired by their Christmas show, 'Pinocchio and the Northern Lights', and incorporating artistic responses produced by members of Hijinx Odyssey in workshops, we produced saleable craft items exhibited and sold at the Wales Millennium Centre. I produced dreamcatchers incorporating sewn vinyl stickers of prints of participant work. Money raised from the sale of these items supported Hijinx in continuing their incredible work.
