December 2016
We are recruiting! Projects Assistant/ Administrator - to support the Director and Projects Co-ordinator to develop a wide range of arts projects with people living with dementia in the south of Westminster/Kensington & Chelsea, and to offer administrative support to the team.
Job description and Person Specification here: Westminster Arts Projects Assistant Administrator
October 2016
In October we ran three fun workshops with Alex Hirtzel and The Wallace Collection for Big Draw 2016. A group went to the Wallace Collection to explore objects from their fabulous porcelain collection and be inspired to decorate their own crockery to take home. Lucy, Alex and Edwina from the Wallace also took some of the procelain collecion to Quest Day Centre where participants designed and made their own pattern-inspired tablecloth, and delivered a session with Nubian Life Day Centre inspired by an Asanti Mask from the collection to celebrate Black History Month.
September 2016
We are running a new Music for Thought project in Hammersmith - a 6 week music project with musicians from the Royal Academy of Music beginning 9th November at Age Uk Resource Centre, 105 Greyhound Road. Please contact Lucy on 020 73212702 or [email protected] to make a referral or for further information
August 2016
We are working with the Wallace Collection and Paintings in Hospitals on a project to highlight the upcoming exhibition of Tom Ellis at the Wallace. Participants at the Victoria Memory Café looked at his work and responded with charcoal drawings, which will be on display at the Wallace when we visit to see the exhibition in September.
As there is no Music for the Moment concert this month, if anyone would like to join us for a lunchtime concert on Wed 17th August Kathryn is going to St James' Piccadilly for a concert as part of the Beethoven festival, and Lucy is going along to music in the atrium at St Paul's, Hammersmith. Let us know to look out for you on 020 7322 2702 or [email protected] / lucy@westminsterarts.org.uk and we will go for a coffee afterwards locally.
We are recruiting for new Creative Befrienders to visit people in their own homes: the next training day is August 20th.
Creative Befrienders 2016 advert - please contact us if you are interested.
July 2016
Our Music for the Moment concert series had its season finale at Wigmore Hall: 95 people attended for truly wonderful performances by pianist Hao Zi Yoh and harpist Mary Reid. The next concert will be at St Marylebone Parish Church on September 16th 2.30-4pm
We also celebrated the Musical Memory Boxes' return to the Pullen Centre where they were made with artists Iris Musel and Sarah Lott. The group made lavender bags to add to their boxes, after their extensive tour to WhiteleysShopping Centre for the Housing & Care 21 Dementia Awareness Week event, Chelsea Theatre, a Dementia Friends session at Paddington Library, the Victoria & Albert conference and Westminster Archives. The participants were delighted to be able to take their boxes home to show family and friends, and we have been hearing lovely feedback ever since: 'I am so proud of her. I'll keep going through the box with her. And will keep telling her how talented she is.' – proud daughter of one of the participants about her mum's box.
June 2016
Congratulations due!! Jessica McDermott, one of our wonderful Creative Befrienders, received a certificate of Highly Recommended at the Westminster Community Awards on Wednesday June 1st. Jessica was awarded with a framed certificate for the Sir Simon Milton Foundation Award by Lisa Milton, Simon's brother, and the new mayor of Kensington & Chelsea Cllr Steve Summers. The award came with a cheque for £250 for Westminster Arts. Jessica worked for a year with 94 year old Gina using a range of arts techniques. They created a portrait photograph using various elements of Gina's life which is showcased on the Photographer's Gallery website. Jessica is now doing a similar Creative Befrienders project with Susan, you can see her work here - http://jessicamcdermott.com
May 2016
For Dementia Awareness Week we are having an exhibition of recent Resonate artwork at Chelsea Theatre, World's End, Kings Road Place London, SW10 ODR, with a private view on Monday 16th May 4.30-6.30 (please RSVP if you would like to come). The exhibition continues at the theatre til Monday May 30th. We are showing the Snapshots photo exhibition, work from a current Creative Befriending project and artwork from a recent mosaic project in the Chamberlain Day Centre in Kensington & Chelsea. To get to the theatre you take the tube to Sloane Square and then a bus up the Kings Road, about 10 mins.
The Snapshots BLOG is now live on our website! We will be posting a new story based on an artists' visits to all the participants from the 2015 Remembering Together project to see how they were displaying their artwork in their homes. We will put up a new blog weekly whilst the project lasts so do keep a look out. NB Next blog will be on the website on Monday 22nd May.
Meanwhile elsewhere in London… artists Iris Musel and Sarah Lott have been working at the Pullen Day Centre creating Musical Memory Boxes and some of the artwork will be on display at Westminster Archives during Dementia Awareness Week. The archives are behind Westminster Abbey at 10 St Ann's St, London SW1P 2DE and are open 10-7pm Tues to Thursday and 10-5pm Fri and Sat. NB If you would like to come along to the celebration with the participants at the Pullen Centre on Monday May 23rd then do get in touch.
If you happen to be in Fulham library pop in to see a banner and some photos from the lovely mosaic project at St Vincent's day centre with artist Seiwa Cunningham. The library is open 10-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10-5pm Friday and Saturday and 11-5pm on Sunday, and is at 598 Fulham Rd, London SW6 5NX
NB This month there is no Music for The Moment concert as the students at the Academy are busy with exams and end of year recitals. The next concert will be on Thursday June 30th at Marylebone Church. However there is a special concert for Carers Week on Tuesday June 7th at 11am with the Heath Quartet at Wigmore Hall, for which there will be a small cost of £3 to include refreshments.
April 2016
The Living Words poetry project at the Butterworth Centre held a celebration event for the residents and staff who had worked with the artists and graphic designer. The participants were presented with their poetry books after extracts from each were read out, and staff were presented with certificates for undergoing the training sessions held at the home. In the evening the artists hosted a panel discussion at the Dementia Research Centre in Holborn to examine their experiences of the work before they go into the devising process for a performance that will be shown at the Folkestone Normal? Festival at theQuarterhouse on Friday May 27th.
This month there are two Music for The Moment concerts: Friday April 8th atWigmore hall and Thursday April 28th at Marylebone Church.
We have begun to put out listings on the website so see News for more information about what is going on for people living with dementia in the boroughs of Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.
March 2016
Artist Sarah Gudgin, one of the apprentices on the Remembering Together project, has been visiting all the partiicpants in their homes to talk to them about the artwork that was created for them at the end of the project. She wil be posting a log on the website in May to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week and putting together an exhibition fof the Chelsea Theatre. Apart from meeting with old friends, this is a chance for her to evaluate the impact the project and the artwork has had on particpants.
This month we say goodbye to Visiting Arts who we shared an office with and have enjoyed spreading out in the space!
Kathryn supported the V & A learning in an away day for artists working on their dementia programme. The V & A are planning an event for carers during Dementia Awareness Week we will input to wtih aq creative workshop session
February 2016
Artists Sarah Lott and Iris Musel are starting a new project at Pullen Day Centre in Pimlico, creating Musical Memory Boxes with the day centre users. Each week the participants will share poems, songs and stories and create something for their memory box based on a different aspect of their personal histories. There are some lovely singing voices in the group and everyone loves to sing, so they are choosing their favourite song to create a wind up music box.
Our next Music for the Moment concert series for people with dementia and their friends is on Thursday 25th February at 2.30 at St Marylebone Parish Church (no need to book).
January 2016
Happy new year to all! We are busy matching the new Creative Befrienders volunteers with people in their own homes and there is lots else to look forward to at the start of the year with a new mosaic project and a new Music for Thought project with the Royal Academy of Music and Wigmore Hall, plus lots more! Our next Music for the Moment concert series for people with dementia and their friends is on Thursday 28th January at 2.30 at St Marylebone Parish Church (no need to book). We welcome Rebecca Milner to the team on placement with us from Goldsmiths University.
We are recruiting! Projects Assistant/ Administrator - to support the Director and Projects Co-ordinator to develop a wide range of arts projects with people living with dementia in the south of Westminster/Kensington & Chelsea, and to offer administrative support to the team.
Job description and Person Specification here: Westminster Arts Projects Assistant Administrator
- 2 days/ week (flexible on days)
- Deadline for applications: 5pm 20th January 2017
- Interviews: Friday 27th January 2017
October 2016
In October we ran three fun workshops with Alex Hirtzel and The Wallace Collection for Big Draw 2016. A group went to the Wallace Collection to explore objects from their fabulous porcelain collection and be inspired to decorate their own crockery to take home. Lucy, Alex and Edwina from the Wallace also took some of the procelain collecion to Quest Day Centre where participants designed and made their own pattern-inspired tablecloth, and delivered a session with Nubian Life Day Centre inspired by an Asanti Mask from the collection to celebrate Black History Month.
September 2016
We are running a new Music for Thought project in Hammersmith - a 6 week music project with musicians from the Royal Academy of Music beginning 9th November at Age Uk Resource Centre, 105 Greyhound Road. Please contact Lucy on 020 73212702 or [email protected] to make a referral or for further information
August 2016
We are working with the Wallace Collection and Paintings in Hospitals on a project to highlight the upcoming exhibition of Tom Ellis at the Wallace. Participants at the Victoria Memory Café looked at his work and responded with charcoal drawings, which will be on display at the Wallace when we visit to see the exhibition in September.
As there is no Music for the Moment concert this month, if anyone would like to join us for a lunchtime concert on Wed 17th August Kathryn is going to St James' Piccadilly for a concert as part of the Beethoven festival, and Lucy is going along to music in the atrium at St Paul's, Hammersmith. Let us know to look out for you on 020 7322 2702 or [email protected] / lucy@westminsterarts.org.uk and we will go for a coffee afterwards locally.
We are recruiting for new Creative Befrienders to visit people in their own homes: the next training day is August 20th.
Creative Befrienders 2016 advert - please contact us if you are interested.
July 2016
Our Music for the Moment concert series had its season finale at Wigmore Hall: 95 people attended for truly wonderful performances by pianist Hao Zi Yoh and harpist Mary Reid. The next concert will be at St Marylebone Parish Church on September 16th 2.30-4pm
We also celebrated the Musical Memory Boxes' return to the Pullen Centre where they were made with artists Iris Musel and Sarah Lott. The group made lavender bags to add to their boxes, after their extensive tour to WhiteleysShopping Centre for the Housing & Care 21 Dementia Awareness Week event, Chelsea Theatre, a Dementia Friends session at Paddington Library, the Victoria & Albert conference and Westminster Archives. The participants were delighted to be able to take their boxes home to show family and friends, and we have been hearing lovely feedback ever since: 'I am so proud of her. I'll keep going through the box with her. And will keep telling her how talented she is.' – proud daughter of one of the participants about her mum's box.
June 2016
Congratulations due!! Jessica McDermott, one of our wonderful Creative Befrienders, received a certificate of Highly Recommended at the Westminster Community Awards on Wednesday June 1st. Jessica was awarded with a framed certificate for the Sir Simon Milton Foundation Award by Lisa Milton, Simon's brother, and the new mayor of Kensington & Chelsea Cllr Steve Summers. The award came with a cheque for £250 for Westminster Arts. Jessica worked for a year with 94 year old Gina using a range of arts techniques. They created a portrait photograph using various elements of Gina's life which is showcased on the Photographer's Gallery website. Jessica is now doing a similar Creative Befrienders project with Susan, you can see her work here - http://jessicamcdermott.com
May 2016
For Dementia Awareness Week we are having an exhibition of recent Resonate artwork at Chelsea Theatre, World's End, Kings Road Place London, SW10 ODR, with a private view on Monday 16th May 4.30-6.30 (please RSVP if you would like to come). The exhibition continues at the theatre til Monday May 30th. We are showing the Snapshots photo exhibition, work from a current Creative Befriending project and artwork from a recent mosaic project in the Chamberlain Day Centre in Kensington & Chelsea. To get to the theatre you take the tube to Sloane Square and then a bus up the Kings Road, about 10 mins.
The Snapshots BLOG is now live on our website! We will be posting a new story based on an artists' visits to all the participants from the 2015 Remembering Together project to see how they were displaying their artwork in their homes. We will put up a new blog weekly whilst the project lasts so do keep a look out. NB Next blog will be on the website on Monday 22nd May.
Meanwhile elsewhere in London… artists Iris Musel and Sarah Lott have been working at the Pullen Day Centre creating Musical Memory Boxes and some of the artwork will be on display at Westminster Archives during Dementia Awareness Week. The archives are behind Westminster Abbey at 10 St Ann's St, London SW1P 2DE and are open 10-7pm Tues to Thursday and 10-5pm Fri and Sat. NB If you would like to come along to the celebration with the participants at the Pullen Centre on Monday May 23rd then do get in touch.
If you happen to be in Fulham library pop in to see a banner and some photos from the lovely mosaic project at St Vincent's day centre with artist Seiwa Cunningham. The library is open 10-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10-5pm Friday and Saturday and 11-5pm on Sunday, and is at 598 Fulham Rd, London SW6 5NX
NB This month there is no Music for The Moment concert as the students at the Academy are busy with exams and end of year recitals. The next concert will be on Thursday June 30th at Marylebone Church. However there is a special concert for Carers Week on Tuesday June 7th at 11am with the Heath Quartet at Wigmore Hall, for which there will be a small cost of £3 to include refreshments.
April 2016
The Living Words poetry project at the Butterworth Centre held a celebration event for the residents and staff who had worked with the artists and graphic designer. The participants were presented with their poetry books after extracts from each were read out, and staff were presented with certificates for undergoing the training sessions held at the home. In the evening the artists hosted a panel discussion at the Dementia Research Centre in Holborn to examine their experiences of the work before they go into the devising process for a performance that will be shown at the Folkestone Normal? Festival at theQuarterhouse on Friday May 27th.
This month there are two Music for The Moment concerts: Friday April 8th atWigmore hall and Thursday April 28th at Marylebone Church.
We have begun to put out listings on the website so see News for more information about what is going on for people living with dementia in the boroughs of Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.
March 2016
Artist Sarah Gudgin, one of the apprentices on the Remembering Together project, has been visiting all the partiicpants in their homes to talk to them about the artwork that was created for them at the end of the project. She wil be posting a log on the website in May to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week and putting together an exhibition fof the Chelsea Theatre. Apart from meeting with old friends, this is a chance for her to evaluate the impact the project and the artwork has had on particpants.
This month we say goodbye to Visiting Arts who we shared an office with and have enjoyed spreading out in the space!
Kathryn supported the V & A learning in an away day for artists working on their dementia programme. The V & A are planning an event for carers during Dementia Awareness Week we will input to wtih aq creative workshop session
February 2016
Artists Sarah Lott and Iris Musel are starting a new project at Pullen Day Centre in Pimlico, creating Musical Memory Boxes with the day centre users. Each week the participants will share poems, songs and stories and create something for their memory box based on a different aspect of their personal histories. There are some lovely singing voices in the group and everyone loves to sing, so they are choosing their favourite song to create a wind up music box.
Our next Music for the Moment concert series for people with dementia and their friends is on Thursday 25th February at 2.30 at St Marylebone Parish Church (no need to book).
January 2016
Happy new year to all! We are busy matching the new Creative Befrienders volunteers with people in their own homes and there is lots else to look forward to at the start of the year with a new mosaic project and a new Music for Thought project with the Royal Academy of Music and Wigmore Hall, plus lots more! Our next Music for the Moment concert series for people with dementia and their friends is on Thursday 28th January at 2.30 at St Marylebone Parish Church (no need to book). We welcome Rebecca Milner to the team on placement with us from Goldsmiths University.
