ART IN MENTAL HEALTHCARE SETTINGS
Above: A mural installation by Dame Sonia Boyce included in the art programme. Left: Service-users at men’s secure service, Catton Ward, Northside House, in Thorpe St Andrew, were so inspired by printmaker, Carl Rowe’s conversation- inviting mural, that they adopted its flamingo pink as the signature colour for their community football club, Catton Kittens.
pandemic restrictions were not only likely to significantly reduce access to the arts for these service-user groups, but were also likely to exacerbate isolation and loneliness (Mental Health Foundation, 2020). We knew it was more important than ever to ensure that service-users and staff were able to continue to engage creatively, and to connect with others, and so we founded the Digital Art School; mirroring the format of our artist-led workshops, but live- streamed weekly via Zoom direct from the artist’s studio or home.
Now re-launching The Hospital Rooms Digital Art School, now re-launching as a three-year programme backed by Arts Council England, has evolved through research and insights gained from participants both in inpatient mental health wards and online, after its initial iteration as a response to COVID-19. This latest pivot of service offerings will play a crucial role in democratising access to art, extending the programme’s reach to over 600 NHS units in England. Feedback tells us that participants find the workshops easy to schedule and follow, that they help to shape conversations around personal identity, positively affect self-esteem, and offer people an outlet of creativity where they felt as though they could ‘escape’ their everyday troubles. Our workshops also help to facilitate a sense of belonging and positive sense of self based on the diverse range of artists we work with. Speaking about collage artist, Sharon Walters, one participant commented during the live workshop: ‘I’ve enjoyed all three of these workshops with Sharon. It’s been very inspiring and makes me feel proud to be Black.’ A teacher at an additional needs school in Glasgow shared that one student called the Digital Art School ‘the forget about the world’ class. We regularly hear that the Digital Art School offers people a quality art experience that they may
THE NETWORK | MAY 2024 Hospital Rooms
Hospital Rooms, founded by Tim A. Shaw and Niamh White in 2016, brings ‘creativity, colour, and kindness to the places where people receive care when living with mental illness’. The charity said: “We radically reimagine how people with the most difficult of mental health diagnoses are considered and treated. We collaborate with artists, service-users, and mental healthcare units to craft innovative artwork and creative programmes while dispelling stigmas and advocating for culture and creativity in mental health as a universal human right.”
otherwise be ‘priced out’ of (Participant 2021), as well as providing a strong feeling of being part of a creative community, and easing complex wounds of loneliness and isolation that can be symptomatic of not only the wards in which we work, but a society dealing with an increasing mental health epidemic and cost of living crisis. Though the Digital Art School was
founded in direct response to the pandemic, and we were able to resume our in-person work within the year, our audience has grown significantly to include parole houses, schools, recovery colleges, and a public audience representing 300 unique postcodes nationwide, and 38 countries globally. Through a comprehensive mixed-method research methodology, led by our Head of Impact, and informed by experts-by-experience, we thoroughly and frequently evaluate the impact of our workshops, ensuring that we understand, and are accountable to, the diverse and evolving needs of our service- user audience. Our approach includes surveys, semi-structured interviews, and the development of case studies which invite and analyse perspectives from all
across the Digital Art School community: service-users, facilitating staff, and artists. Further, two Lived Experience Advisory Groups facilitated by researchers at our partner university, Norwich University of the Arts, feed directly into our research design, ensuring that questions and methods are suitable, generative, and meaningful for respondents. Findings from our evaluations
directly inform our artist selection, prioritising representation of participating populations, and help us improve the pacing, language, and content of our workshops. Our learnings from this research were fundamental in securing generous funding from partners, Winsor & Newton, Arts Council England, the Art Explora – Académie des Beaux-Arts European Award, and Pinterest, to elevate the Digital Art School further, transitioning it from a pandemic response, to a dynamic, evidence-based, and sustainable programme model, bringing creative activity to over 600 NHS mental health units nationwide.
What’s next for the Digital Art School? In May 2024, the Digital Art School is set to embark on an ambitious relaunch, aiming to extend its reach like never before. Our primary objective is to distribute artist-designed boxes filled with premium art materials to every inpatient mental health unit across England for participants to be able to engage with the upcoming series of Digital Art School workshops. Additionally, we’re developing tailored training and support materials for NHS staff working in these crucial services. We’ve assembled a cohort of 36
esteemed artists, including luminaries such as José Parlá, Giles Deacon, and Sarah Dwyer, for a comprehensive three-year programme. Each month, these artists will conduct workshops inspired by their unique practices, directly engaging with
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