Hilary Forbes

Hilary Forbes

This was the fourth group art exhibition for BAAT Region 5 members, and was held at The Landsdown Art Gallery in Stroud, Gloucestershire from 18th to the 24th November 2019. The 2017 exhibition was written up in the December 2017 edition of Newsbriefing.

The eleven art therapists who took part mainly live and work in Gloucestershire, with a few coming from the surrounding Cotswold area.

The participating artists were Ceinwen Birrell, Karina Burt, Ali Coles, Harriet Cookson, Hilary Forbes, Fiona Harrison, Justine Glynn Jones, Gill Horne, Louise Luscombe, Tempe Stewart and Saira Todd. The exhibiting art therapists come from a variety of work environments – some from the NHS, some work privately, some work for independent charities, and some have recently graduated.

The group has regularly engaged in experiential art making as a part of their meetings, and this is particularly valued by the group as it allows the opportunity for artistic expression, and the recovery of our identity as artists – as well as being art therapists.

Another of the reasons behind putting on the exhibition was that it is a regulatory requirement of the HCPC for art therapists to engage in continued professional development (CPD), and in exhibiting our work we were providing evidence of art making for CPD, and therefore any potential HCPC audit.

Staging an art exhibition together concentrated our minds on pursuing our own creative ideas. We worked independently with a variety of mediums and styles, and the exhibition included: paintings, 3-D works, collage, hanging work, ceramics and prints. Some artists had work for sale, some preferred not to sell.

The exhibition was also seen as an opportunity to spread the word about the therapeutic value of art therapy, and leaflets from BAAT explaining art therapy – how it works and its benefits – were on display at the exhibition, available for the public to take away.

As we have exhibited previously on a bi-annual basis since 2013, we had an organisational plan in place which covered most aspects of planning and timings for the exhibition. Louise Luscombe and Hilary Forbes were the main organisers, with Ali Coles covering advertising and publicity, and Justine Glynn Jones the finances. However, it was very much seen as a joint enterprise between all the participants, most were involved in the hanging of the exhibition, and everyone was involved in invigilating for the week the exhibition was open.

The process of producing artwork for the exhibition was not easy:

‘It was a struggle to firstly form an idea into something and give it the space to develop in the midst of a busy, working life. I regret not being able to focus more on it because once the exhibition is up it feels like such an achievement and a privilege to be involved.’ (Saira Todd)

After several months of planning and meeting deadlines it all culminated on the morning of the 24th November, when we gathered together to begin the process of hanging the exhibition:

‘It is always exciting to see what others bring in on the morning of the first day and to witness the exhibition taking shape.’ (Ali Coles)

We have had the same curator for all our exhibitions, Sue Rae – who is a local artist and lecturer.

‘Having a curator who can pull all the disparate media and styles together into a coherent whole was crucial and Sue curated with great sensitivity and efficiency.’ (Ali Coles)

Although there were several exhibitors who had participated in all four exhibitions, for some artists it was a new experience.

‘This was my first time exhibiting since qualifying as an Art Psychotherapist in 2018. My art practice mainly encompasses poetry, however since joining the Region 5 BAAT group, my confidence for exploring different approaches to expression has developed. I valued the time I had for exploring visual representations of my poem and welcomed the synthesis ofemotions and processes I experienced during my involvement in the exhibition. It was a wonderful experience exhibiting in the community alongside my peers and colleagues.’ (Karina Burt)

We had a preview evening which was attended by approximately one hundred people. There were many positive comments on that evening, and there were more later from subsequent visitors to the exhibition. It was interesting to read these and gain their impressions of the artwork on display, here are a few examples:

“Wonderful, quiet deep introspective work. Provided a lot of thought.”

“Great to see so many different approaches and techniques - they all come together well.”

“Lovely to see the diversity of work, very emotional and emotive. Thanks.”

“ Many thanks – deep reflective insights, I appreciate the resonance.”

“ Lovely to see so much bold experimentation and some beautiful techniques and outcomes.”

“ A brave and inspiring exhibition, a bow, a tipped hat to every single artist. Thank you.”

Finally, a comment from Tempe Stewart sums up the majority experience of the exhibiting group:

“I really enjoyed exhibiting together and the chance to creatively conclude ideas I have been working on.”

The outcomes of the exhibition were, as in previous years, increased contacts for therapeutic work, the profile of art therapy was raised, the sale of artwork, and there was renewed enthusiasm amongst the group to stage another exhibition in two years time.