Digital artist Jason Wilsher-Mills explains and demonstrates the format of the session – the simplicity of the approach is breath-taking.
colleague Brenda Mead and I ran a series of low-key pilot sessions with De- mentia Cafes in Ramsey and Ely, taking a training kit of tablets pre-loaded with digital piano, rhythm kit, Drawing Desk and Fingerpaint apps. The results were astounding and very moving – people previously thought to be totally uncom- municative produced intricate paintings, having never participated at the groups before.
Call out for artists
Our next chance to launch the pro- gramme emerged when Cambridgeshire was granted NPO status with Arts Coun- cil funding. Joanne Gray who manages the programme made a small amount of money available. I was given The Library Presents Coordinator Nathan Jones to work with, and in summer 2018 we started the process of writing a brief and putting a callout for artists on social media.
We had a much bigger response than anticipated from artists countrywide – Cultural Solutions UK’s bid was the closest match to my original concept, the choice of artist was mine as the originator of the idea, and I have to say that we found the perfect fit in Jason Wilsher-Mills (@jasonwilshermil). Jason is a digital artist with a track record of working with local authorities, groups with learning difficulties and community groups. As a disabled artist, he brings a raft of skills and experiences which are invaluable.
The timeframe demanded that the pro- ject was delivered by the end of March this year. A three-phased programme was drawn up – taster sessions, partner workshops and then sessions delivered to targeted groups in the community. Two days to launch and a major prob- lem arose when our artist Jason lost his
April-May 2019
PA who makes his mobility possible. At this point I did think that this was the end. However, Nathan worked tirelessly with Jason to find new dates, new venues and an extended delivery period. Ironically, this has given us a wider geographical coverage, as we included libraries in East Cambridgeshire as well as the Huntingdonshire and Fenland districts– 13 sessions in six libraries. We moved away from the three phase delivery and re-invited everyone who had signed up previously.
We launched our workshops in March. From the outset, Jason inspired everyone
with his story; the journey that brought him to using the iPad to continue his career as an artist after a life changing illness. He explains and demonstrates the format of the session – the simplicity of the approach is breath-taking. The work- shops last for two hours and are based on self-portraiture using the Brushes app on iPads.
From apprehensive to relaxed The customer journey is very interesting. Most arrive looking apprehensive. Once they’ve met the team and Jason has ex- plained how the event will work they make
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