Arts in the Recovery of Mental Health
Professor Louis Appleby, Director for Mental Health (England), attended the Arts in the Recovery of Mental Health seminar run by the Start team in partnership with Manchester Art Gallery and the Renaissance project on 11 June.
He was shown around the 'Held' exhibition of work by service users, on display until 6 July, before speaking in front of an audience of mental health and cultural sector professionals and artists.
"I am a big fan of Start and the tremendous work they do," he said.
"I love the philosophy that anyone can get involved in art and this is really pioneering work.
"The work on display here succeeds as art, as a project in its own right that is fit for public display."
He added that the work of the Start team 'helps give people a sense of achievement.'
"It is natural for distressed people going through a troubled time to withdraw from society and anything that reverses that is worthy of praise," he commented.
Professor Appleby also said the seminar and exhibition was of particular interest to him, as he has been tasked with rolling out similar projects nationwide by Health Secretary Alan Johnson.
"Thank you for inviting me along to shamelessly plagiarise your ideas," he said.
Start lead artist and service manager Wendy Teall explained the idea behind the scheme.
"Art has a transformative effect on lives, and most especially on lives touched by mental or emotional distress," she commented.
"Working with art in the highly structured way that we do at Start, means that we successfully help people with serious mental health challenges to explore their strengths and aspirations, and to discover and nurture their abilities to care for themselves and bring a sense of wellbeing into everyday life."
Manchester City Council's Executive member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Mike Amesbury said: "Working in partnership with Start Manchester has been a great opportunity for Manchester Art Gallery.
"Participants and staff artists from Start have made some stunning artworks for the thought provoking exhibition Held and the way Start has helped people recover or maintain good mental health through art is truly inspirational. The seminar 'Arts in the Recovery of Mental Health" was a great day and demonstrated the broad range of work that is going on in this area.
Manchester Art Gallery's Community Development Manager Leisa Gray said that the gallery will continue to work in partnership with Start.
"Working in partnership with Start Manchester has been a real privilege and learning experience for me. The work they do truly demonstrates that art can make a huge difference to people's lives," she said.
"We are very keen to build on the partnership with Start and to continue to promote the idea that galleries can be beneficial to people's wellbeing. The seminar was the start of that development process."
The Seminar attracted wide interest from cultural as well as health sector professionals and artists. Presentations included:
Art and Mental Well being - Health and Culture working together given by Wendy Teall (Manager/Lead Artist )/Juliette Angus (O T), Start in Manchester; and Leisa Gray, Community Development Manager at Manchester Art Gallery
Music for Health - Approaches to music making in health and social care settings given by Holly Marland, (Professional Development Manager/ Music for Health Training Officer), Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Arts on Prescription - Stockport Arts on Prescription Scheme given by Alex Barton, Stockport Arts on Prescription
The entire day was described by delegates as "Incredibly inspirational." One delegate commented, "The highlight of the day for me was hearing about the personal journeys participants took in creating artwork for the 'Held' exhibition."
Another mentioned the excellent range of networking opportunities, whilst several people indicated that they had gained a greater understanding of how involvement in arts can affect mental well being.
Follow-on developments mentioned by delegates included improving creative activities in inpatient units, using network contacts to grow ideas in the filed of arts and health, passing on learning to students, and enhancing links between the health and cultural sectors.
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