Make Your Mark’s Year of Drawing symposium celebrates learning from year-long, trust wide participatory arts project

Taking place on 12th September, Make Your Mark’s Year of Drawing symposium focused on sharing learning from the arts and health programme’s Year of Drawing project, as well as the wider context of drawing and mental health.

The symposium consisted of talks from Dr Philippa Lyon, drawing and mental health researcher at the University of Brighton; Ian Williams, a GP and graphic novelist; and Mike Mitchell, life drawing model for the Drawing Life project working with people with dementia. The learning from a Year of Drawing section of the day saw Joanna Stevens, Lead for Arts and Health at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and project artists Jane Fordham and Jane Fox share an overview and anecdotal happenings from the year-long drawing project.

The afternoon provided an opportunity for symposium delegates to find out more about specific areas of work in a series of mini pop-up ‘clinics.’ The clinics covered a range of topics, from drawing materials and methods to how to put on an exhibition.

Practical drawing activities were dotted throughout the day, from using wool to draw a picture in the main auditorium, to trying out drawing machines and ‘spinners’ in the foyer. Desks in the auditorium were covered with paper to encourage drawing throughout the day.

Nearly 70 people attended the event from a range of different backgrounds and sectors. Guests included Sussex Partnership staff, service users, carers, as well as staff from arts partner venues and third sector organisations.

Year of Drawing was funded through charitable grants from Arts Council England, The Chalk Cliff Trust, The John Horniman’s Children’s Trust and Rockinghorse Children’s Charity - we are very grateful for their support of this project.

Read more about Make your Mark here.