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Art at the Heart has a packed programme of exhibitions, music performances, artist led workshops and art and design commissions for new clinical and non-clinical spaces over the next 3 months. You can read more about all of these projects in this newsletter compiled by Jess Shoemack.
I am delighted to say that Artsparks resumed on the Children’s Ward last week after a 6 month break and it gives me great pleasure to welcome Mary Chamberlain as our new artist in residence on the Children’s Ward. The finished paintings by young patients and their parents are quite stunning and from feedback we can see that this activity makes a great difference to a young patient’s experience of their stay in hospital.
The majority of my time is now dedicated to art & design for new builds and re-furbishments. Last week a conservator, Sarah Cove visited the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (The Min) to carry out a condition report on the collection of 18th century paintings which was fascinating as well as revealing and we will post more on our website about this project.
There are several more performances scheduled until Christmas and with thanks once again for the generous grant from The Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust, we are able to continue the Lunchtime Performance programme next year.
Hetty Dupays, Art and Design Manager
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Newsletter Header Image by Amanda Gell, Staff and Volunteer Exhibition
EXHIBITIONS
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20th October 2017 - 18th January 2018
A fantastic showcase of the RUH Staff’s artistic talents will be on display for the RUH Staff and Volunteer Exhibition 2017. Staff members from a range of departments - Maternity, Estates, Pathology, Therapies and ward volunteers to name a few, are taking part by exhibiting mediums such as photography, painting and mixed media.
With over 4,800 staff and volunteers at the RUH there is sure to be a great pool of artistic talent waiting to be revealed. Art at the Heart would like to support these abilities by encouraging staff and volunteers to share their work with other staff and members of the public.
A call for interest was made earlier in the year to see how many staff members and volunteers would like to take part and by receiving a successful response, we are thrilled to be running the RUH Staff and Volunteer Exhibition for a third time.
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Creative Perspectives
Creative Perspectives art group are proud to be exhibiting their work at the RUH. Come along and support them and Art at the Heart as they exhibit alongside the Staff and Volunteer Exhibition in the Central Gallery and take the opportunity to buy an original piece of artwork by local artists.
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“For years in hospitals the walls were bare and I always thought how colour and healing can go together and ART in general cheers the spirit (some of it at least) So great to see ever changing exhibitions - keep up the positive work” Patient
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Bath Artists' Studios - Silent Auction Results
We are pleased to say the Bath Artists’ Studios Silent Auction raised £2000 this year.
The proceeds will be split between both charity organisations, Art at the Heart and Bath Artists’ Studios. Thanks to everyone who made a bid and well done to the winners!
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"So impressed. Actually makes it a delight to walk down these corridors. Beautifully presented" Patient
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We are very happy to welcome Volunteer, Ida back to Stitch in Time workshops after a summer break. The workshops continue on Combe and Midford Ward. Stitch in Time has reached over 60 patients during the last couple of months.
The artist, Edwina Bridgeman makes notes during the workshops and looks for commonalities to inform further work. It is always a pleasure to engage with the Elders and to hear their stories. Our aim is to create an exhibition of patients work and their stories to raise awareness of dementia, highlighting the rich stories of people’s lives.
We have continued the felting workshops and we are now introducing other activities including collage and watercolour. We always follow the interests of the patients and last week ended up making a monster drawing workshop which prompted lively conversations around the table about scary colours, textures and expressions.
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We are thrilled to welcome new artist Mary Chamberlain as Artist in Residence on the Children's Ward. Mary is an artist specialising in drawing and painting and loves looking at movement and the captured moment in her work. She studied at Wimbledon School of Art and has since pursued her interest in using creativity to enrich people’s lives.
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She has worked as a Creative Practitioner with the NHS, charities and community groups for 19 years and is very much looking forward to starting at Artsparks! She takes a patient led approach with her work and will be using a variety of materials including watercolour paints, acrylic paints, pencils, and stencils on the ward.
Images: A selection of patients' artwork
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Artsparks is generously funded by St John’s and a budget to source high quality art materials is made possible through a grant from NADFAS.
Quality materials are key to the overall experience and Mary will be making a supply of small stretchers, stretching canvas and priming during the workshops, where young patients and their families can see this relatively simple process and the difference in quality between 'off the shelf' ready made canvasses.
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There are two new exhibitions on display in the Artsparks Gallery featuring artworks from two local primary schools, St Mary's Primary School and King Edwards Junior School. St Mary's pupils show beautiful flower drawings whilst King Edwards display submissions to the Royal Mail’s Christmas Stamp Competition, based around the topic, ‘What the Christmas season means to you’.
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Art Donation
Thanks to Victoria Art Gallery, Bath for donating this dragon made from lego; it will be installed next to the Teenage Chill Out Room on the Children’s ward.
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SOUNDBITE
2017 hasn’t been a conventional year for Soundbite with our Musician in Residence being on maternity leave for the first half of the year; however our lunchtime performance programme allowed us to provide music performances during this quiet time for Soundbite.
Music performances provide a welcome release on the wards, where staff and patients alike can bond through a mutual appreciation (or dislike!) of the music. Pressures on ward staff mean they don’t often have the time to sit with patients and connect, but when our musicians are performing, eye contact is made, people laugh, and smile, dance and we often leave the wards uplifted.
We are excited that we are able to bring 8 more live music performances to the RUH public areas and OPU wards in November and December.
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UP-AND-COMING PERFORMANCES
13:00-13:30 Atrium & 13:45-15:30 Older Patients Wards
Thursday 2nd November – Josh Doughty from Live Music Now
Tuesday 7th November - Hodmadoddery
Friday 17th November – Marick Baxter
Friday 24th November - The Gaulois Brothers
Friday 8th December - Gina Griffin and Tim Petherick
Monday 18th December - Seb Gutiez and Charlotte Ostafew
Tuesday 19th December – Tim Petherick and Gina Griffin
Wednesday 20th December - To be Confirmed
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