SLOW ART
Reimagine Remake Replay Project
Reimagine Remake Replay - "What a day! Our Slow Art sessions, as part of RRR’s stop of the National Gallery #VanHuysumVisits tour, were a massive, relaxing, energising, enjoyable success! (Participants’ words, not ours!)
We got to meet our Arts and Wellbeing facilitator and all round amazing human being @lisakellyart in person for the first time ever! We were reunited with participants from online and saw a few new friendly faces too!
Lisa is an art therapist doing fantastic work with us, yesterday she led groups of our incredible participants in slow looking, mindful drawing and writing with our new fave painting ‘Flowers in a Terracotta Vase’
This is such a highlight of the exhibition for us - at RRR we believe art can really help everyone with our mental health."
ARTS AND WELLBEING
Reimagine Remake Replay Project
Once a week we create art using found materials in our homes, while discussing mental health and self-care. The energy gained from being part of the group is something I have never experienced before – we almost never stop smiling and laughing. The power of art is constantly on display as it connects us visually, assists us to share our voices and keeps us inspired every week. There is a beautiful sense of compassion and common humanity evoked in the group. As we begin and end each session, we are moved by each other's words. Arts and wellbeing have connected us online, and despite being apart we are together.
To find out more visit: reimagineremakereplay.org
STUDIO 2
Summer Jam 2021
Arts and craft workshops for children aged 4-11 years.
TBuc - Camp Leader
Good Relations workshops for young people aged 11-19 years.
MATTERS OF LIFE AND ART
The Rainbow Project
A pilot arts and wellbeing group for LGBTQIA+ adults who wanted further support with their mental health following on from counselling.
Feedback - Being in a group was great, this came about at a time when we were quite isolated and being able to talk about our approaches to art and wellbeing at the same time was really special for me. Lisa led us with inspiring ideas and approaches, I really liked the quotes that were shared. A very nice touch was our welcome hand/heart ‘ritual’ which created a nice compassionate way to engage with ourselves and online in our shared space. I most enjoyed seeing other peoples work and hearing them talk about it.
BE(U)
The Rainbow Project
Online meet-ups for trans, non-binary, intersex and individual questioning their gender indentity.
Feedback - Hi Lisa, thank you so much for such a wonderful session! I think the energy levels were at the floor on Saturday but your workshop was exactly what the doctor ordered. I think we all felt like we got to know each other a little bit more. Feedback was excellent. J said she was feeling on top of the world and happier than a fairy afterward. S said she’s generally as creative as a farm hand but actually really enjoyed herself. V said they really enjoyed collaging together and that it was like a mindless pleasure. Across the board people said it was fun, interesting and satisfying. Cheers again!
PROUD TO BE
The Playhouse
Arts and Health workshop creating visual responses to written personal journals.
A combination of text and image.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Video for OUT North West
An arts and wellbeing video focusing on repurposing old books in four different ways, including blackout poems, collage, mini books and monoprinting. These activities can help with health and wellbeing as they allow the individual to work spontaneously with their difficult emotions that may be hard to put into words.
PRESENTATIONS
25/03/2021
Museum Conference NI - Arts and Wellbeing in Museums and Mindful Drawing.
13/05/2021
Ulster University Diversity Hour
Cultural Humility
11/06/2021
Head and Heart Mental Health Festival (Reimagine Remake Replay Project)
Mindful Drawing with the Arts and Wellbeing Gang
TESTIMONIAL
Diversity Hour
13 May 2021 - Lisa Kelly
On behalf of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, I want to pay tribute to Lisa Kelly from the Belfast School of Art, for her outstanding contribution to the University’s Diversity Hour programme. Lisa’s involvement demonstrated the teaching ethos at Ulster University in relation to student engagement, inclusivity and diversity.
The Diversity Hour series provides a platform for staff and PhD researchers to hear, discuss and understand different perspectives across a wide range of themes; and to celebrate the positive impact that a diverse workforce brings.
Lisa was recommended by her Course Director, Pamela Whitaker, to lead a discussion on cultural humility versus cultural competence; and looking at the ways in which we can employ cultural humility in the workplace and the university environment. As the first student to lead a Diversity Hour, Lisa was ‘educating the educator’ offering a compassion focussed pedagogical practice for participants. In this regard the self-portraits with the non-dominant hand were a metaphor for challenging habits of how we perceive our professional portraits as educators.
In advance of the training, I met with Lisa to discuss the format of the series. I was impressed with her preparation and willingness to embrace the ethos of the programme. Lisa’s style of delivery and engagement with participants was incredible.
The success of this first student-led session will now be used to demonstrate how we can further expand and develop the diversity and inclusion programme in the next academic year, by engaging more with students and reaching out to other Schools across the University.
- Cara McShane, Ulster University