Art and Soul is teaming up with The Orleans House Stables Gallery in Twickenham to showcase work by those suffering from mental health issues. The charity aims to aid recovery by instilling confidence in participants through the joy of art.
A Day at the Zoo
The Orleans House Stables Gallery – partnering with the organization Art & Soul – will be celebrating emotional wellbeing through the arts in its upcoming 'Flow of Life' exhibition.
People facing mental health issues find the process of creating art very healing. Painting, needlework and crafting by hand helps to focus the mind, providing relief from anxiety and a safety valve to release feelings which might otherwise lie bottled up and dormant.
One particular project, 'A Day at the Zoo', began as a one-session event, but through the enthusiasm and imagination of the artists at the Wandsworth Recovery Group, the frieze grew into a six-month endeavour. The contributors sat opposite each other down a long table, which resulted in one edge of the images appearing upside down, as you can see in the image above.
Vase with flowers
In addition to helping with their recovery, displaying and selling their art boosts the artists’ confidence and self-esteem, a long-lasting effect that has had positive results in helping with recovery.
This year’s participants attend regular programmes run by South Thames College in Wandsworth and the Wandsworth Recovery Group, which is part of the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.
'The Flow of Life', a title chosen to represent the exploration of the ups and downs we all experience, runs from April 28th to June 12th at The Orleans House Stables Gallery on Twickenham riverside. Any event that includes beautiful art work, a wonderful riverside setting and a worthy cause to boot, is one you should get involved with!
For further information about the exhibition you can check out the Orleans House website here. To learn more about the charity Art and Soul click here.
