Artist
Broadly speaking my work centres around the idea of memory and loss. exploration into the effects of cognitive decline, namely that caused by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Loss, fragility, and decay are at the root of my research-based practise. Through investigation of various materials, I am seeking to offer a visual representation of what it might be like inside the mind of someone with dementia from the perspective of a person witnessing the insidious decline of a loved one as they succumb to this cruel disease. The experimental nature of my practise allows me to work in a variety of media across a range of disciplines.
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Educator
I have been teaching art to people of all ages, backgrounds, and ability levels in a variety of settings for over 20 years. In various ways I have facilitated learning opportunities for people within the community – either directly as a teacher or indirectly as an organiser giving others the opportunity to teach. I have taught art in many places to lots of different groups of people: at a summer camp; in an orphanage; in the classroom; and most recently through Zoom. I am passionate about education and strongly believe there is great power in art. Helping people unlock their creativity can promote wellbeing in a ways that are hard to quantify.
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Social Prescriber & Healthy Ageing Advocate
In November 2021 I started the Blue Flamingo Cafe, which is a place for people to enjoy the company of others in a dementia-friendly space. My experience as an artist and educator has enriched me with the conviction that art is a vital pathway to wellness and is essential to our overall health as humans. It challenges us to view things from different perspectives, provides us with an outlet for creativity, and offers us ways to soothe our anxieties. Throughout various points in my life I have been thrust into the unexpected role of carer. Each time I have learned more about how mental health impacts on behaviour how it can effect our overall wellbeing. Being a carer can be a lonely affair and it's very easy to feel isolated. Feeling like you're part of a community can combat those feelings of isolation which is why places like the Blue Flamingo Cafe play a vital role in our communities.
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Community Builder
Throughout my professional career I have worked as a freelance artist, Director of Education for a not-for-profit arts organisation in America, and a Curator for gallery in Oxfordshire, England. I have also volunteered in preschools, primary schools, galleries, and non-profit arts organisations. In those roles I have been many things in addition to the title I've held: teacher, outreach facilitator, programme coordinator, mentor, negotiator, and manager. And in each of these roles I have worked alongside people to build communities. Community is something very important to me - I believe it underpins our health as individuals and as a society - and is at the root of everything I do.
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