Spring News from Art at the Heart of the RUH

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Header Image: Giraffe baby by Dean McLachlan, RUH Central Gallery

"Welcome to our Spring Newsletter.

Our last newsletter covered the final touches to our substantial arts, heritage and design projects for the new RNHRD & Brownsword Therapies Centre. Staff and patients along with the collection of 18^th Century paintings and artefacts are settling into their new home. The arts team, including volunteer historians, had some lovely feedback and on reflection it has been the most interesting and rewarding project to be part of.

Following on from this we submitted an application to the Bath Life Awards in January and were delighted to be shortlisted for the ‘Civic Award’. There were eight other finalists in our category with a cross range of amazing projects, I attended the Awards Dinner at the Assembly Rooms with Director of Estates & Facilities Brian Johnson, it was a very lively evening with several hundred people in attendance. Our category was won by Bath City Football Club who does fantastic work, especially with young people. They employ over 200 volunteers to help deliver their projects; well- deserved congratulations to BCF!

We also applied to the RUH’s first ever ‘Patient Experience' Awards for our art and music on ward projects. You can read more about these projects in our newsletter; 2019-20 evaluation reports available to view here. We are very proud of these projects which have evolved gradually over several years and deliver tangible benefits directly to patients and their families. We are delighted to hear that we have been shortlisted; the Award Ceremony takes place in late March.

We are involved in a couple of national projects too, 2020 is The International Year of the Nurse & Midwife (TYONM) in celebration of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

We will feature artwork by nurses and midwives in our staff and volunteer exhibition, and we are also planning a 200 year history timeline project highlighting the RUH’s history in tandem with national key milestones. Other plans are taking shape and we will update our website soon once everything is confirmed."

Hetty Dupays, Art and Design Manager

"Lovely way to walk the hospital paths!" Patient

EXHIBITIONS

The Bath Open Studios exhibition in the central corridor has once again proved to be one of most popular and bestselling exhibitions in the run up to Christmas. We also have some amazing pictures in the South Corridor (Zone C) by Zennor Box who uses animals and invented creatures to highlight human concerns, habits and stories.

This year has started with two brilliant exhibitions of wildlife and travel photography by husband and wife, Dean and Helen McLachlan alongside Alan Brooks ‘Footloose in the Americas’ - both currently on show in the Central Corridor. The West Corridor near the Friends Coffee Shop is also showing a new exhibition of paintings of Bath and Cornwall by Cherie Merchant from 4^th March.

A highlight in Spring, will be our Staff & Volunteers Exhibition from 24^th April and we hoping for as many entries as possible – especially from nurses and midwifes as it is the International Year of the Nurse and Midlife and we hope to make a special feature of their work. It will be a brilliant opportunity to showcase some of the hidden artistic talents from cross the Trust.

Following the success of last year, the highlight this Summer will be a joint fundraising exhibition and auction with Bath Artists’ Studios and this year we hope there will be a live auction!

Tony Smith, Exhibitions Manager

Altered Ocean by Mandy Barker

We are pleased to present a selection of pictures ‘Indefinite’ from Altered Ocean, an exhibition by Mandy Barker and originated by the Royal Photographic Society.

Mandy Barker (b. 1964, UK) is an international award-winning photographer whose work investigates the issue of marine plastic debris. Working with scientists she aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the world’s oceans to highlight current research of the effects on marine life and ultimately ourselves. Her work has been exhibited globally and published in over 40 different countries.

Alongside is a series of astrological pictures from the Royal Photographic Society’s International Images for Science exhibition.

RUH Staff and Volunteer Exhibition: Call for Entries!

We are inviting RUH staff and volunteers to share their artistic talent in our Staff and Volunteer Art Exhibition 2020.

The exhibition will be held in the Central Gallery and will be open from 24 April – 9 July 2020 and will be seen by many of the thousands of patients, visitors and staff who pass through the RUH every day.

Deadline for all submissions: 20th March 2020

Dean and Helen McLachlan: Wildlife Photography

Dean and Helen McLachlan are Bath locals who dream about photographing wildlife every single day. Dean’s love for animals started at a young age, as he was born in Africa and grew up wanting to be a wildlife game ranger.

Fast forward 15 years and Dean is married to Helen - Bath born and bred, who like him, has a love for photography. Their adventures into the African bush unlocked something magical within them and now after a few more safaris, wildlife consumes most of their daily conversations and thoughts. With a further two trips to Kruger in the diary for 2020, their passion for nature has never been stronger.

Footloose in the Americas

"The collection of photos on display in the RUH Central Gallery are a record of a year’s overland journey through Mexico (4½ months), Belize/Guatemala/El Salvador/Honduras/Nicaragua/Costa Rica/Panama (4 months), Colombia (2 months), and Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (6 weeks).

Sue and Alan Brook who made this trip in a Land Rover with a roof-top tent both have reason to be grateful for excellent treatment received at the RUH, and are therefore very happy to support Art at the Heart."

South Gallery: Zennor Box

Artworks by Zennor Box is on display in the South Gallery (Zone C). Zennor uses animals and invented creatures to highlight human concerns, habits and stories. This allows you to view the drama within the image rather then be critical of a particular person.

“Excellent idea - makes it easier to find my way round” Visitor

Forward

SOUNDBITE

“I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain,
what a glorious feeling I’m happy again”

As I write this it is raining again, as it has what feels like constantly since Christmas. I have been channelling Gene Kelly and loving singing and reminiscing about the famous dance scene with patients. It’s important to put a positive spin on the dreary weather that can be so depressing. It is also great to talk with patients about the weather, being in a hospital bed 24/7 for days, weeks and in some cases months, you can feel quite isolated from the outside world, so simple conversations about the weather can help a person feel connected.

We were lucky enough to receive a great amount of funding for our lunchtime performance programme this year meaning between April and December we had 18 performances from visiting musicians including Josh Doughty, a world renowned Kora (West African harp) player who has always been well received in previous visits to the RUH, jazz and folk duos, and a violin and cello duo. As always the musicians begin by playing for 30 minutes in the atrium before heading to two wards.

Soundbite is always open to referrals from staff and wards for patients all over the hospital. Please do get in touch via f.simpkins@nhs.net or x.4987 if you would like a visit.

Frankie Simpkins, Musician in Residence

Images: Musicians performing for patients on Waterhouse and Combe Ward

Musician in Residence Frankie Simpkins works 2 days a week visiting 5 OPU’s wards and offering visits to other patients all around the hospital, delivering musical interactions and performances with patients and staff, using voice and ukulele.

The Soundbite Performance Programme brings a diverse range of live music to communal areas of the hospital and wards. Below see our up-and-coming monthly lunchtime performances this spring.

Soundbite: Lunchtime performances
Friday 20th March: Sadie Fleming (Live Music Now)
Friday 17th April: Josh Doughty (Live Music Now)
Friday 24th April: Bath Folk Club
Friday 15th May: Chris Webb (Live Music Now)

13:00-13:30: Atrium or Lansdown Foyer

13:45-15:30 Older Patients Wards
(either Combe, Cheselden, Midford, Waterhouse or ACE)

"This is the most life giving enrichment the patients

get more than medicine. I see patients at peace when

musician, Frankie Simpkins sings and she gives them

rest. Amazing and inspiring!" Staff Member

Forward

ARTSPARKS

The purpose of Artsparks is to allow young people to enjoy the freedom to produce their own creative work during their hospital stay, in a safe, supportive and non-judgemental setting. The Friends of the RUH have generously funded Artsparks 2019-20.

Newspaper and tape sculptures have been created recently in a workshop session, one patient wanted to make a parrot and Edwina showed him how to use the newspaper, tape and a cone as a base. His parrot was fantastic and he was so pleased with it, he was going to take it into school to show his friends what he had done in hospital. A magic carpet made out of brightly coloured felt was a group activity that was also very much enjoyed by patients and their families.

“It’s hard to put into words what happens in the Artsparks sessions that I run. They are of course a creative opportunity, a diversion and fun but they are also so much more than this.

In following the children’s lead, carefully listening and genuinely being alongside we have created new worlds; we have flown on magic carpets, built museums and told our stories. The way we create is universal and inclusive. The experience is not exclusively the young patients but often their families and staff as well. This has an incredibly positive impact on the whole ward.

Celebrating and encouraging children’s imagination is important in any situation but in hospital it is vital. Artsparks sessions are a portal.”
Edwina Bridgeman, Artist

We are grateful to our supporters for this project, without whom we would be unable to offer this high quality experience for young patients with one of the region’s leading participatory artists. Many thanks in particular to The Arts Society, Bath – their gift of materials will make such a difference to the ward, having the arts cupboard well stocked for patients and their families to use.

Sue Southfield from the Society, who helped to raise the funds, said: “I did enjoy visiting the RUH paediatric ward ‘playroom’ and seeing Artsparks at work. What marvellous support for the children and wonderful art work they do. I am so glad the Arts Society, Bath is supporting it.”

“A wonderful thing to keep the children happy and

occupied. Wonderful!”Parent

STITCH IN TIME

'Stitch in Time' creative workshops take place every Friday led by artist Charlotte Stowell and supported by Friendly Faces volunteers. Patients on Combe and Midford Ward created colourful nativity scenes and decorations which were displayed in the day rooms over Christmas. In January, patients worked on mosaic designs. Wooden bases in different shapes were covered in PVA glue, then decorated with glass mosaic pieces. The variety and size of mosaic pieces made choosing the pieces an interesting process. Patients said they enjoyed picking out the colours and shapes for their work. One patient said it reminded her of looking for pebbles on the beach.

Other projects for the new year have included making designs on sliced wood, transforming knitted squares into cushions and Springtime pastel drawings. Patients have been making cushions from knitted squares which were donated to the hospital. The squares are sewn together using thick needles and wool then filled with stuffing. It's a satisfying, practical activity for patients to work on.

We recently submitted an article to The Journal of Dementia Care on our 'Stitch in Time' Garden project with Charlotte Stowell and it was published in the March/April 2020 issue. It was a fascinating project and you will soon be able to view the article via our website.

We have been busy putting together review summaries for 2019 on all our participatory projects and plan to do an annual report of the whole programme.

A great way to support the arts programme is to buy one of the many artworks we show around the hospital site. Not only will you be supporting our artists but you will help to continue the arts at the RUH for patients, visitors and staff as a third of all sales goes to the RUH Arts Fund.

There are new Heritage ward entrance signs for some of our named wards on the RUH site. Look out for these at the entrances to learn a bit of history about the people who inspired the RUH ward names.

Creativity and well-being week takes place 18th-24th May and there will be some special events planned this week to celebrate creativity and well-being, including the RUH Staff and Volunteer Exhibition 2020 prize giving event. Do keep an eye on our website www.artatruh.org

Jessica Brown,
Marketing and Programme Officer

Forward

National Projects

Last year was ‘NHS 70’ and a national programme of oral history stories were gathered. Bath was no exception and the timing worked perfectly to capture stories from the Min (RNHRD) before it relocated. An NHS 70 Pod will be touring several hospitals in England and is scheduled to arrive here for the whole month of May; we are working with NHS 70 to tailor these stories either specifically to our catchment area or focus on stories from nurses and midwives to coincide with the launch TYONM.

Hetty is a member of the National Performance Advisory Group (NPAG) for Arts Managers Forum, which was formed a year ago and is already gaining much momentum with over 40 members. It is a much needed forum where we can share best practice and support each other.

Last month the meeting was held at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) which was very inspirational. The meeting was held in the new GOSH CEO, Mat Shaw is a great advocate for the arts and design in hospitals and has committed to a 1% for arts in Capital developments. This is very evident across the Trust and no more so than in the brand new Zayed Centre for research, this is an open plan building so the public and young patients on research programmes can see the scientists working at first hand. The commissioned artworks which are playful, futuristic and embracing add a different but entirely complementary dimension to the experience.

The NPAG group will be combining their expertise to publish national guidelines which will enable advocacy across disciplines, including ‘Collections management’, ‘Art in Design’, ‘Arts Participation’ and ‘Evaluation and Research’.

Together We Can Do So Much by Mark Titchner

Thank you

As a charitably funded programme our projects would not be achievable without ongoing support of our supporters and funders, these include the RUH NHS Trust, charities including the Forever Friends Appeal and the Friends of the RUH, we are grateful for all the support and look forward to achieving a productive new financial year!

Image Opposite: Patient with her knitted square toy, created during Artsparks on the Children's Ward

We welcome your feedback!

We always aim to enhance the look and feel of the hospital with art and to deliver more arts projects to support the healing of patients. We have feedback cards situated along the RUH main corridors and welcome your feedback on the exhibition programme, art workshops and music performances so please let us know your thoughts.

Alternatively you can email Jessica Brown, Marketing & Programme Officer j.brown9@nhs.net

Copyright © 2020 Art at the Heart of the RUH, Charity No. 1058323, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Art at the Heart of the RUH
2nd Floor, Bath & Wessex House
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Combe Park
Bath
BA1 3NG
T: 01225 824 987
e: hetty.dupays@nhs.net

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Art at the Heart of the RUH · Estates and Facilities Department, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust · Combe Park · Bath, England BA1 3NG · United Kingdom