Derry art exhibition a shining beacon of city’s artistic talent
An new art exhibition is open to the public in Derry this week showcasing the creative talents of a group of older people who have experienced mental ill-health.
The event, which opens in the Holywell Trust building in Bishop Street on Thursday, features the work by members of the Beacon Wellbeing day centre on Clarendon Street.
The exhibition, which features an eclectic and mix of engaging artworks including: reduction prints, paintings, photography and ceramics.
Beacon Wellbeing, which is a part of Niamh (Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health), the North’s largest mental health and learning disability charity has been providing support for people in Derry experiencing mental ill-health from its centre on Clarendon Street for 23 years now. They also provide a drop in session on Sundays.
The centre facilitates a wide range of activities throughout the year and opportunities for outreach trips, mainly during the summer period.
Examples of some of the regular activities that take place in the centre include: mindfulness sessions, Connect 5 and WRAP, music tuition, men’s outreach and other various recreational opportunities. More recently, the centre has expanded activities and now has an allotment at Ballougry Road which, with the support of a volunteer instructor, helps members engage in gardening and growing their own fruit and vegetables.
The allotment project has had the positive side-effect of encouraging members to adopt healthier eating patterns as they enjoy the various crops that the allotment provides. However, arts and crafts has always been one of the most popular activities in the centre and is an area where Centre Manager, Alison Foley is always on the lookout for new ways in which to engage as many members as possible in connecting with their inner creativity as a means to both express themselves and promote a sense of personal pride and achievement. This is what led Alison to apply to the Art Council of Northern Ireland’s Arts & Older People Programme.
Launched in June 2010, the programme was established to increase opportunities for older people to engage with the arts. The 2013 – 2016 programme aims to strengthen the voice of older people and promote positive mental health and emotional well-being through the arts. Clarendon Street received funding from the programme to deliver creative sessions supporting continued wellbeing and social inclusion for members in the centre aged 55 years and over.
The project was a catalyst to forge and develop partnerships between the centre and the wider community including the University of the Third Age (U3A) Foyle and the Bogside and the Brandywell Health Forum’s Getting on Well group to provide pottery, glass fusion, reminiscence and art-based sessions for participants.
The exhibition will be on display to the public at the Holywell Trust Building, 10-12 Bishop Street, Derry, from 9.30am - 4.30pm on weekdays from Friday, 25 September 2015 to Friday, 9 October.