Creative Fun at St Clare House, Ipswich

LifewithArt was extremely pleased to be able to share our magnificent photographic exhibitions with the people of Ipswich when we opened the doors to our brand new charity arts centre, St Clare House, back in November. Visitors were invited to view our exhibitions supporting the works of our associated charities Teenage Cancer Trust and Myaware. Also on display was LifewithArt’s own photographic exhibition showcasing the amazing artworks produced by our clients in our workshops around the UK. Alongside our exhibitions, tutor Amy Mallett and her team were delighted to run a range of arts workshops for local community groups and charities.

The Ipswich branch of Diabetes UK attended a variety of visual arts workshops which included drawing, collage and paper cutting. We also took advantage of our panoramic fifth floor accommodation by exploring landscape drawing skills. Participants built confidence in their artistic abilities, finding sessions “Very interesting and informative” and stating “Still life will never be the same again!” Group member Rosemary also shared her super crafting skills with the group, showcasing the wonderful Christmas creations she was working on.

Boundless UK (Ipswich) completed a multi-disciplinary performing arts workshop series, which included character development, songwriting, puppet making and performance. Each member contributed their individual creative skills to the project, which culminated in the making and editing of a short film of their puppet performances.  Much fun was had by all in these lively and collaborative sessions, with one group member commenting: “I was amazed at how much we were able to achieve!”. Check out the amazing film they made here.

Finally, 24 Hour Parky People, a social group for people with Parkinson’s, also completed a series of performing arts workshops, creating characters, stories and song verse, but with additional emphasis on drama and vocal exercises. The group found the sessions to be “Warm, friendly, inclusive and uplifting” Other attendees said “It was good to have someone actually listen to our ‘crazy ideas'” and “I never realised I was an ‘art’ person.”