Patients’ artistic skills on show
Artwork made by patients at Cumberland Hospital are set to be on show at an upcoming public exhibition in Parramatta.
Everything is Connected with Everything Else: Myco Logic is on at the Heritage Courtyard Pavilion (160 Marsden St, Parramatta) daily from this Saturday (November 25, 2017) until December 3.
The exhibition showcases artworks made by patients at Cumberland Hospital as part of the recovery services program.
Artist Elizabeth Day has been facilitating hands-on workshops with the patients since July this year, showing them how anything can be used to “draw” in three dimensions.
Project curator Claire Taylor said the workshops were based around engagement, visual story-telling and skill sharing.
“The program is really about creative exchange; it aims to foster connections between the participants,” she said.
“In the process of making things together, the project helps build support networks essential to the journey towards recovery.”
The exhibition draws inspiration from fungi and its underground root structures, as a metaphor for community connections.
A small preview was showcased in the PARC Building during the recent Wisteria Festival but Ms Taylor said the public exhibition would be a much larger installation of all the work from the program.
“The program and exhibition have facilitated individual artistic expression, as well as collective participation,” Claire said.
“Elizabeth has been providing one-on-one assistance to encourage and motivate participants, and introduce techniques and materials; as a result, we have seen consistent engagement, with members keen to return to the sessions.
“Many participants found the idea of making fungi-inspired artwork funny, which was a good mechanism for breaking down barriers and helping overcome initial hesitation about getting involved in a creative program.”
The exhibition will be officially launched on Saturday, 25 November, 2017 from 1.30pm to 3pm. It will then run daily from 11am to 3pm.
For more information, visit: https://mycologicblog.wordpress.com or contact Claire Taylor 0410 161 841 or info@greyspace.net.au
