The Courtyard is excited to be able to extend its reach and implement a visual arts strand into the Creative Ageing programme.
This two year project will seek to encourage creative participation and sharing of experiences, through working with older people using visual arts based activities as a starting point in nursing, residential and day centre settings.
The Mentoring Model
This allows practitioners to be continually supported and challenged in their practice and engages them in continuing professional development; four fantastic practitioners will be mentored throughout the life of this exciting project.
Project mentor: Jeanette McCulloch
Jeanette was an Art and Design lecturer for a number of years before re-directing her skills into community art projects. She works with many groups across Herefordshire, including people with complex physical and mental illnesses, who make individual or collaborative artworks using a variety of techniques with mixed media materials.
At the heart of Jeanette’s practice is the knowledge that being creative gives a sense of profound satisfaction, happiness and social connection. Her infectious enthusiasm acts a springboard to what participants can do. Her workshops offer people an opportunity to explore their own creativity, and at the core of each session there are a multitude of therapeutic benefits.
“There is a great personal reward when we engage in artistic pursuits, it makes us feel good, and we are all rewarded from access to the arts”.
Training opportunities
Jeanette will be running a series of training sessions to enable health care professionals, freelance practitioners and carers to gain the skills and knowledge to deliver this type of work with older people and people living with dementia in their community.
Further information can be found here:
Time to Celebrate … things to hang.
Monday 18 September 2017, 10am – 1pm
Training sessions with Jeanette McCulloch, for care staff, activity leaders and arts practitioners. A great big ‘Goodie Bag’, packed full of useful skills and ideas galore… accessible and affordable ways of running art sessions with Older People.
Mark special times of the year with decorative garlands. A simple card wreath can be decorated throughout the seasons, using fabric, crepe paper, tinsel… Jeanette will provide information on how art activities can be adapted for older people in a variety of settings.
How to get involved
If you are an organisation that works with older people in a care or residential facility, a day services or community centre or a housing association, then we would like to invite you to take part in this new and exciting project. A 10 week residency will be delivered by one of our fantastic Visual Arts practitioners at your facility, sessions are weekly and can be up to 2 hours. This project is fully supported by our funders therefore there is no cost to your organisation, though we ask you to commit time and staff resources to ensure that both participants and practitioners are fully supported during the sessions.
If you are interested in this project and would like to know more please contact
Katrin Cross
Adult Participation Officer
Direct Line: 01432 346514
Email: aop@courtyard.org.uk
