Arts Competition
Are you creative? Fancy seeing your creations (be they performances or paintings, photographs or poems) on display at the Wales Millennium Centre this summer?
Read on...
Open Up Arts Cymru is an arts project for Wales which aims to challenge discrimination in mental health. As an attempt to try and raise awareness in Wales, they are calling on all talented artists to produce work on the theme of mental health to stimulate thought, debate and show what people with mental health conditions are capable of and celebrate their creativity. The best artwork (from paintings, sculpture, photography, film, music and drama to creative writing, poetry and a range of crafts including needlework and paperwork) from across Wales will be exhibited in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff between the 13-25 June 2009.
What they say:
Art is a positive creative outcome from what is often a very challenging and negatively perceived illness and through art it is possible to give a voice to someone who may otherwise feel disempowered. Art is also an excellent medium to get a message about important issues out and to raise public awareness.
While art therapy is a recognised and effective form of therapy, often people are unable to access therapists, but they are still able to engage in artist pursuits on their own or with the assistance of other support staff. Art enables us to communicate on many levels and is regarded as a positive activity that can encourage and speed up recovery.
As an attempt to try and raise awareness in Wales, Open Up Arts Cymru is calling on all talented artists to produce work on the theme of mental health to stimulate thought, debate and show what people with mental health conditions are capable of and celebrate their creativity.
The title of the exhibition is ‘Discriminating Arts’ and any work produced on a mental health theme will be considered - whether it be a life experience (negative and positive), something that improves your mental wellbeing or more challenging works that deal with stigma and discrimination. Artists submitting work should include a brief ‘Artist's Profile’ and a description of the artwork explaining its meaning.
Deadline for unframed submissions is 15 May and the final deadline for all submissions is 29 May 2009.
Please send photos, copies or scans (not originals) of your work to:
Paul Shewell
c/o Abergavenny Mind Association
45B Cross Street
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
NP7 5ER
LINKS:
Sprout Article: Living with Dementia
Sprout Event Calendar: Open Up Arts Cymru Exhibition
http://www.publicmentalhealth.org/
Image: 'Automatons' by Margaret Muller.
http://www.margaretmuller.com/
IMAGE: Ian Sane
