...First things first - I hope that 2018 will be positive in so many ways for you personally, and to our arts and health community.
Vic McEwan
Just two things for this New Years Day posting - one, there are just a handful of places for the free event at HOME on the 23rd January. This is an opportunity to hear from Vic McEwan about his time in residence at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and the superb Harmonic Oscillator. I'll be launching a book about his work and sharing some of my observations about contemporary social arts practice. So click HERE if you want to come along.I am very excited to announce that the brilliant Maxine Peake will be my special guest at our follow-up event to the Creative Healthlaunch which we held at the Manchester School of Art in July. Why Maxine Peake? When I told her about our field of research and practice, and our belief that culture and the arts in all their forms, should not be the sole preserve of the great and the good - she committed herself to being part of this agenda. She is a dynamic actor, with deep integrity and I'm thrilled that she wants to be a part of our bigger cultural conversation. So it's an exciting and evolving agenda and you'll see some detail below, including a link to eventbrite to express your interest in attending. I've had to do it this way, so as to prioritise people from our region, and ensure a diverse range of people on the day. It will be a busy event, so register promptly.
Finally, we are not interested in the grandiose gestures of self-styled venture philanthropists hell-bent on the standardisation and packaging up of cultural activity into an insipid blanket prescription for all life’s ills, but beginning a more difficult and nuanced exploration around inequalities, social justice and just how culture and the arts might be a significant factor in healthy lives well lived. So below are some brief details, with more on eventbrite.
