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LAHF February 2010 Newsletter
1 February 2010
Welcome to LAHF’s February 2010 newsletter, bursting with national and local arts in health news, as well as previews of our events, opportunities and developments in arts and wellbeing. The LAHF monthly newsletter is free of charge and available to all, to sign up visit www.lahf.org.uk and please feel free to forward to any colleagues or friends you think might find it interesting.
If you have trouble viewing this newsletter please go to http://www.lahf.org.uk/lahf-newsletter/lahf-february-2010-newsletter to view it online.
Thanks to all of you (over 200) who took the time to fill in our online questionnaire last month. The results are really helpful to us as we try to deliver the best service possible for the arts in health sector. It was great to hear that so many of you value the newsletter and also found our events helpful. The results are currently being compiled and a report will be posted shortly on the LAHF website.
In response to last year’s survey, we have been updating our website (www.lahf.org.uk) and this has now gone live. Do check it out and do also drop us a line with any comments or ideas in response to the website.
At the beginning of January, LAHF moved from our desk in London Bridge to our very own little office in Islington, just off Essex Road. Our new address is 1st Floor, 5 St Peters Street, London N1 8JD. Email addresses remain the same as does our 0845 602 0825 telephone number , our new London number is 0207 226 2034. Apologies if you’ve had trouble getting through to us by telephone, we’ve had a few teething problems but all is now up and running and we look forward to your call!
Personality Disorder Artist’s Talk
As part of the programme of events around Personality Plus’ exhibition Emergence... Discovering the Creative Self, 25th January to 4th March, at the Together Gallery in London, LAHF is pleased to co-present a talk from emerging artist Mark Francis Jones. Taking place on Monday 8th February 1.30-4pm at the Together Gallery, Mark will talk to Emergence Director Andy Brooker about his relationship to art, life, personality disorder and his struggle to realise his creative potential. Booking essential, e: Tapartproject@yahoo.co.uk
Breakthrough and LAHF Media Event
London Arts in Health Forum and Breakthrough are jointly planning an event to offer support to artists and small arts organisations looking to raise their profile and to build a better relationship with the media. Against a background of financial and other pressures, the need for individual artists and small organisations to promote, defend and advocate for their work will be all the more important. This event will aim to help with making contact with the media, building relationships with the press and opinion formers and handling negative press coverage. It will draw on the experience of practitioners working in the field of arts in health and those whose job it is to encourage the media to talk about arts and health and to talk about it positively!
The event will take place in central London on 3rd March from 11.30 – 4pm (refreshments will be provided). The event is free but will be limited to those working in the arts and health sector as individual artists and for small organisations. To register for the event, please email info@lahf.org.uk
LAHF is also planning an event on 15th March 2010 from 12-6pm to explore the role of the arts in dementia care. The event will include presentations and workshops from practitioners working in the field including John Zeisel from the USA who will launch his new book “I’m Still Here”. We have already had considerable interest in this event so if you would like to attend or receive further information please get in touch as soon as possible, e: info@lahf.org.uk
LAHF have commissioned the document An Introduction to Evaluation to help you find your way through evaluating your arts in health projects and events. The document includes information on the who, what, where, when and why of evaluation with lots of useful links to full guides, software and other invaluable resources.
The full document is available to download from the LAHF website , w: http://www.lahf.org.uk/news/resources/an-introduction-to-evaluation
Arts Council England Consultation
On 19th January Arts Council England (ACE) opened their consultation on future priorities for the arts. ACE have identified areas for development in the arts over the next ten years and are asking for your views to inform their long term strategic framework and next set of investment decisions.
LAHF will be making a collective response to the consultation and would welcome input to this from across the sector. We will be drafting this response in March so anyone wishing to engage with this should contact us by 1st March, e: info@lahf.org.uk
To take part in the consultation, w: www.artscouncil.org.uk/consultation
National Patient Environment and the Arts Conference
Presented by Building Better Healthcare, the third annual National Patient Environment and the Arts Conference will take place in Central London on 21st April. This one day conference aims, among other things, to identify good practice, provide tools to develop and sustain an arts programme and learn from other PCTs how to develop fundraising. Speakers will include Susan Francis, Special Advisor for Health at CABEand Beatrice Fraenkel, Chairman at Mersey Care NHS Trust.
Full price fees are £395 but LAHF newsletter subscribers can get a 10% discount by quoting reference “LAHF10”, e: events@ark-group.com
The Alexandra Reinheardt Memorial Award is now open for applications to its 2010 residency programme. The residency provides £10,000 to the successful candidate to facilitate 12 full day workshops at The Art Room in Oxford. The Art Room is a charity offering art as therapy to children aged 5-11 to raise their self-esteem, confidence and independence. The winning artist will also be required to produce a piece of work for permanent display at The Art Room.
Deadline for applications is 2.30pm 11th February, w: www.alexandrareinhardt.org.uk/award.php
On 12th February The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) will present the one day conference Attachment and the Arts. Taking place in London, the conference will cover subjects such as ‘How the arts can help people to think’ and ‘Developing a dynamic pathway to create artistic identity and social empowerment’. The keynote speaker will be Peter Fonagy, PhD FBA, Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis and Head of the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at University College London. Other speakers include BAAT Chief Executive Officer Val Huet and consultant art therapist Neil Springham. Fees range from £50 to £170, w: www.baat.org
At 7pm on 1st March the National Campaign for the Arts will present an arts funding debate with the motion “This country can no longer afford to subsidise the arts”. Taking place in London at Kings Place, the debate will be chaired by Joan Bakewell and speakers include Melvyn Bragg, Matthew Elliot, Simon Jenkins and Matthew Taylor.
Tickets are £9.50 and should be bought directly from Kings Place, w: www.kingsplace.co.uk
This March, the magazine that describes itself as the “magazine for democratic psychiatry” will be re-launched. Asylum is a quarterly magazine hoping to fill the gap left by the closure of Open Mind magazine and to celebrate its re-launch has featured the work of artist Mark Foster on its cover. Asylum’s cover price is £3.50 and will be available by subscription, w: www.asylumonline.net
Choral Singing Improves Health
Prompted by a paper in the Journal of Applied Arts and Health, on 12th January The Independent newspaper reported that choral singing immeasurably improves physical health. The article gives numerous examples of patients reaping the benefits of singing programmes, including “Singing for Breathing” at the Royal Brompton Hospital. To read the full article, w: www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-choral-cure-1864774.html
Orleans House Gallery and Richmond and Twickenham Primary Health Trust have announced a call for artists for a public health commissioning project at the new Teddington Health and Social Care Centre. They are looking for proposals for various spaces in the Centre and are keen to see work by artists who have previously worked in the health sector and have some connection to the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames.
Closing date 5pm Thursday 5th February, e: betsy.lewisholmes@richmond.gov.uk
Elixir Arts, Project Animateur wanted
South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT) Elixir Arts are looking to recruit a Project Animateur for their ‘Well Tuned’ music volunteers project. The role is to research music network contacts and encourage musicians to register as volunteers with hospitals within the SLHT. The position is a part-time, temporary freelance contract from March to July 2010.
Closing date for applications is 12th February, e: Jeanie.mcnulty@nhs.net
Training for Artists Working with Older People
Westminster Arts are looking to fill six places on their training programme for artists, of any discipline, to work with older people. The first three days are in-house training to include specialist dementia input, health and safety, and presentations from professionals and an artist working with elders followed by six supported half day work placement sessions. The training begins on 2nd March and artists will receive payment for attendance, e: Kathryn@westminsterarts.org
If you have any items you would like to be considered for the March issue of the LAHF newsletter please email them to info@lahf.org.uk by 20th February. We always welcome input and feedback so please feel free to email us at info@lahf.org.uk