Self-Care Summer
Given that the last blog update was out sometime in April, we have a lot to catch up on here! That spring sunshine certainly kicked off activities nicely, and the momentum kept going all the way to the end of July.
It’s August now. The summer holidays are officially here, so it feels like the right time for us to stop and rest. I mean, we could keep going, but we wouldn’t be the best advert for self-care if we didn’t take a break, now would we!?
Resident artist Eva in the garden
So, what has been happening over at the art hub?
We’ve been becoming firmly established, that’s what!
Now we have a home and we’ve equipped it with what we need, we are taking time to sit back and enjoy it. With the addition of the mediterranean terrace garden, we now have three spaces we can spread our creative magic in. Of course, we are also benefitting from being part of the wider community The Place Community and Activity Centre brings together.
A cool space to hang out
This Saturday, one of the Yoga teachers facilitated a ‘Well Women Weekend’ event. As we were anticipating the arrival of a collection of local artist Corrina Rothwell’s abstract paintings - our exhibitor for August - we decided to open up the art hub to showcase what we have achieved in the first half of this year.
It was also a brilliant opportunity to revisit our three self-care workbooks and share them with visitors to the event - always good to be reminded of past achievements.
So, while we are at it…
Let’s take a look back over the last four months, and see what we have been up to!
May
The second of the exhibitions was carefully curated and installed by Sherwood mosaic artist Sophie Robins’ WEA group. A sparkling selection of mosaics, from beginners to more experienced makers, it really did glitter in The Glasshouse Gallery.
Not only were the mosaics a fitting addition to the mediterranean feel of our gallery space, the group also ran two highly successful craft fairs. They were rewarded with a great deal of appreciation for the eye-catching pieces they had on show.
This was also the month we launched our ‘Gateway to Community’ art competition. Local children were invited to enter their own designs into a competition, to transform the plain blue gates at the entrance to The Place. The competition was a Sherwood Art Week (SAW) initiative and we opened it up, so the wider public could vote for a winner.
Mosaic exhibition and sale
June
The walls of The Glasshouse Gallery were soon filled, almost from floor to ceiling, with colourful artwork, as those competition entries arrived. We were grateful to Sherwood Stationers for their support, supplying the design sheets and collecting them all in again before the deadline. Valued sponsors of SAW, we have discovered they are also a handy supplier of all things arty!
We gathered together a collection of self-care postcards to display as part of Art in Shops for SAW, and our Friday Freedom to Create sessions swelled in number. We dabbed watercolours onto textured paper, tore paper strips to build layered landscapes and took inspiration from Jackie of Treehuggery to create collaged paper people.
The month ended with a SAW workshop folding origami butterflies and a visit from mural artist Anna Wheelhouse, who painted the winning gate design by Amelie Wilson onto the gates - and wow! The mural has made our entrance seem grander, and so much more beautiful!
July
We kicked off July with a bespoke wellbeing workshop, put together for The University of Nottingham (UoN). The mature students who attend summer school are lucky to have a two week programme of activities to enjoy. As advocates for the importance of self-care practices, UoN are always welcoming and wonderful to work with.
Danny Roberts impressed us with his vivid imagination in a collection of paintings which became the next exhibition in The Glasshouse Gallery. The intricate detail in each piece, kept viewers engaged for ages, and the intense colours on the dark backgrounds cut striking shapes on our plain white walls. It was a psychedelic dream!
We starting sewing in our Friday afternoon sessions, and gave ourselves an introduction to the meditative act of slow stitching. Linked to another project, we started to think about how we could use these skills to create quilt squares.
UoN Summer School session
And now we are here…
This August, the art hub will still be a hive of activity. Our resident artists are popping in and out to make and create, and Team Thortify will be making plans for autumn. Which means we will still be over at the hub, just taking things a little easier, that’s all.
So, do get in touch if you want to pop over for a visit - the kettle’s always on!
Peace and creativity
Debra
