The DG Creative Wellbeing Network is helping to coordinate Dumfries and Galloway’s contribution to the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2023. The festival takes place from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 22 October.
Working in partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, NHS D&G Public Health, DGRI, The Crichton and RBC Film Theatre, DG Creative Wellbeing launched The ‘Keep Turning the Page’ exhibition.
The exhibition sees these “Art Journallers” showcase their work and share their personal journeys with a wide audience, amplifying their voices and underlining the important relationship between creativity and mental health.
45 young people and adults aged from 11 upwards, and from right across D&G, received a curated box of art materials. Over a period of sixteen weeks participants worked with a range of artists and makers via in-person and remote workshops and creative research trips – exploring a wide range of visual arts practises and processes including printmaking, clay, animation, illustration, mark-making, colour theory, zine-making and creative writing. The project’s activities are designed to enhance wellbeing via creative expression, mindful practise, positive distraction, and the development of self-management tools.
Find out more about the Art Journal project.
Image credit – Kirstin McEwan