'Support Life' Art ExhibitionIn November 2019, RAW curated the ‘Support Life’ art exhibition at Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton to raise awareness of the issue of Suicide Prevention. The exhibition was supported by Outside Centre, an organisation in Wolverhampton concerned with disability access to the Arts. This organisation were the driving force behind the hugely successful ‘Wolves in Wolves’ public art trail in 2017. Alex Vann, founder of RAW, decorated the ‘Support Life’ wolf which is concerned with Suicide Prevention and mental well-being. The wolf gives it’s name to the exhibition. We put a call out for submissions to the exhibition on social media and by word of mouth for example at our ongoing workshops and by attending events that were around mental well being. We set up a dedicated Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SupportLifeExhibition/ so could share the stories of the artworks, artists and exhibition updates. 32 artists submitted work -which was a mixture of drawings, painting, prints, tattoo designs, sculpture, poetry, video and performance. Here is a small selection: The exhibition also included a signposting section to agencies that are dedicated to suicide prevention The exhibition was opened officially by the Mayor of Wolverhampton and a percentage of sales went to The Mayors Charities which is 2019-20 were
Key Dates Exhibition dates 5 – 30 November 2019. Dates of events & workshops: 8.11.19: Official Launch event by Mayor of Wolves, Clarie Darke. MCee’d by local actor / theatre leader Tonia Daley-Campbell / with performances by local poet: Brendan Hawthorne and musician Alex Vann plus testimonials by some of the exhibiting artists. 12.11.19: Honesty Portraits Workshop: designing and painting a 3D mask which reflects how you REALLY feel – not a surface ‘I’m ok’ (the concept for ‘Honesty Portraits’ originally came from some work I’d seen by Becky Lawley a young artist who struggles with mental health problems. She and her sister (12) both had work in the Support Life exhibition). 16.11.19: Design a ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ poster: Using the NHS initiative as a basis for drawing / writing / telling others what YOU will do to improve your mental well-ness: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/ 23.11.19 : Design a Wolves in Wolves ‘Support Life’ wolf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_in_Wolves http://www.wolvesinwolves.co.uk/artists/about/wolf10.html (the original wolf design by Alex Vann) 27.11.19: Performance evening: Hosted by Alex Vann, included performances by Billy Spakemon / Brendan Hawthorne and The Dissenters. The Dissenters are a group of vulnerably housed people who attend a drop in centre at SIFA Fireside in Birmingham, https://www.sifafireside.co.uk/
Videos from the Performance Evening are available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmuIArtxp_fjuz5x-Msuh_A/featured?view_as=subscriber We know the exhibition had direct impact on individuals because of:
Exact numbers of people attending are difficult to quantify, however: We have 70 tags on the tree – (obviously not everyone who visited would write one) And 34 comments in the book. 40% of sales from artworks would go to the Mayor’s charities. In addition, Ben Vann (nephew of Alex and owner of a tattoo shop) designed some Support Life tattoos and 50% proceeds from people having these were donated to the charity. COMMENTS BOOK SELECTION:
SIGNPOSTING TO SUPPORT AGENCIES:
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AuthorReal Arts Workshops is an independent arts company based in the Black Country, providing bespoke workshops for various organisations and groups. Archives
November 2024
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