Spotlight On: Artists in Mind
'Artists in Mind', A.I.M, is a radical Huddersfield-based arts organisation which is active in the field of the arts and mental health. It is our intention to relieve sickness and preserve and protect mental and emotional health through the use of the arts.
A.I.M was founded as a not-for-profit organisation, growing out of a long term project entitled 'Art and Mind'; partnership between Leeds University and Rampton Special Hospital in Nottinghamshire. The organisation was granted charitable status in 2003.
A.I.M. (through the work of paid co-ordinator Richard Turner) facilitates a series of projects which positively affect the lives of people with defined acute mental health problems through the use of the arts. A.I.M. is grounded in the understanding that creativity is an aspect of mind that can heal and illuminate an individual's understanding of self and the world, enabling the development of self esteem and confidence in both hospital and community contexts.
A.I.M also aspires to influence the thinking of mental health professionals and the public towards a deeper understanding of creativity and mental health issues as they affect the individual and society. AIM tends to work with people with acute and long term mental health problems and those in forensic psychiatric care.
The Intentions of A.I.M:
- To promote the psychological, emotional and spiritual well being of people experiencing mental distress through the integration of the arts within psychiatric institutions.
- To highlight the significance of the sharing of psychological insights and experiences through art and the benefit to: the artist patient in terms of identity and self esteem, to the contemporary artist in terms of professional development, and to the wider community in gaining a deeper insight and understanding of psychic processes.
- A.I.M. creates sanctuaries in which people can develop their own visual language to tell their stories and to explore their relationships with the world in which they live through creativity. These are affirming, loving and non-judgemental environments.
- A.I.M. intends to counter prejudice by challenging negative social perceptions of the mentally ill.
At present A.I.M. is involved in a number of projects including S.U.M.S (Service User Mentor Scheme) in which service users with long term and enduring health problems are placed into studios, given professional mentoring and materials. This is a pilot scheme which has been highly successful and A.I.M. hopes to expand the initiative to include more service user artists. Details of this pilot scheme and A.I.M's first ever artists' residency in 2003 are given below.
Past and Current Activities.
1) A.I.M. Residency, St Luke's Hospital.
In 2003, an arts residency led by John Holt of A.I.M. and Bob Mills of "Prescription Art", explored the notion of "mapping journeys", taking the form of a series of large banners. Funded by the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, it was negotiated that the work would be shown at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in January 2004. This proved to be a highly successful project, introducing A.I.M. and its ethos and working methods to the artist/patients and staff at St. Luke’s Hospital. The outcomes were highly original and exciting in their formal aspects and lay the groundwork for subsequent projects.
2) S.U.M.S. (Service User Mentor Scheme) 
A one year project to give five mental health service users with long term and enduring mental health problems an opportunity to develop their artistic skills in appropriate artist studios, each SUMS artist being given a studio space, materials and ongoing mentoring from a list of experienced mentors.
Social Services in Kirklees have acknowledged the success of S.U.M.S. by building its continuation into the care plans of each service user for a further year.
Aspirations for the future.
Rampton
A.I.M has entered a large bid into the Arts Council with partnership funding from Nottinghamshire NHS Trust. The project will see the establishment of two long term residences in Rampton Secure Hospital in 2006 with two renowned Northern sculptors/ceramicists to construct site specific permanent sculptures within the hospital grounds.
Creative Archive
It is has been acknowledged nationally that there is no provision for the documentation and storage of the artworks of people with enduring mental health problems. When people are in crisis, an increase in creativity often results. Problems occur, however in the capacity of patients in hospitals and service users in the community to be able to record their work in a suitable environment. A.I.M. intends to set up an archive which will catalogue and store work by service users. Subject to service user's intentions this work can be sold for them, exhibited, used for valid and non intrusive research or merely stored until they are in a position to take it back. In addition, a web site would be set up to facilitate any exposure of work required. It is intended that a service user would be trained as an archivist for this project.
Ongoing publications
A.I.M considers the publication of service user art as central to its intention for inspiring, educating and celebrating the creative lives of people who have suffered trauma. A.I.M. has produced its first publication "Reflections of the Child Who Grew up" which is a tribute to the creativity and recovery process of a remarkable woman, Pauline Quinnin. A performance piece has been also been developed based on the experiences in Pauline's book.
Ongoing performances
As an aspect of the presentation of "recovery" and life stories of service users, A.I.M. will continue to develop performances of people's stories to be presented in public and hospital settings as a way of raising issues and inspiring people to bring creativity into their own lives. This will be developed in close relationship with the service user artist and in most cases will be related directly to an AIM publication. Additionally, performances are also targeted at established performance venues and other settings such as schools, police conferences colleges and universities. The reasons for this would be to address the issues and negative social perceptions arising from such performances, both for the institutions themselves and the wider community.
Artists in Mind
Turnbridge Mill
Quay Street
Huddersfield HD1 6QT
Tel: 01484 345 223
Email: info@artists-in-mind.org.uk
