NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is proud to announce its partnership with the Mental Health Foundation to present five events at its hospitals, as part of this year’s Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF).
The SMHAF is one of the world’s leading arts events dedicated to mental health, offering a platform for people to create and share art about mental health and explore how the arts and creativity can support people to live mentally healthier lives.
Starting today, World Mental Health Day (10th October), and running throughout October, NHSGGC Health Improvement will host free events and workshops exploring the festival’s theme of ‘In/Visible’ at Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Stobhill Mental Health Campus, and Leverndale Hospital.
Event highlights include:
- Gartnavel Royal Hospital showcasing its latest and greatest in ‘Art in the Gart’ across multiple spaces and featuring a mix of patient’s gallery-style artworks and messages, as well as an afternoon of relaxed musical performances from Common Wheel.
- Leverndale Hospital featuring a collaboration with Glasgow Museums, displaying art from Joyce Laing’s ‘Art Extraordinary’ collection.
- Stobhill Mental Health Campus showcasing a collaborative mixed-media collage, encompassing words, creative sewing and embroidery, painting, and illustrative storytelling to express what makes them feel In/Visible.
Dr Trevor Lakey, NHSGGC Health Improvement & Inequalities Manager – Mental Health, Alcohol and Drugs, explained the importance of healing arts in Greater Glasgow and Clyde:
“Originally, started as an NHSGGC mental health program in 2007, it is remarkable to see this festival accessible at a national level thanks to the Mental Health Foundation and partners. Healing arts are a vital part of our approach to mental health care, and we support a wide variety of arts in the community projects, from painting and knitting groups, to singing and dancing performance groups. All provide therapeutic benefits and foster a sense of community and creativity among patients and staff. That’s hugely important.
“We would also like to share a special thanks to our volunteers, many who are from artistic backgrounds to help coordinate the sessions with patients to deliver artworks. Without their work alongside that of our nursing teams, these events would not be possible,” he said.
NHSGGC invites public, staff and patients to attend the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival events at NHSGGC hospitals. Below is a summary of each event, including dates and times:
| When | Event | Location |
| Launch event: Thursday, 10th October from 2-4pm Exhibition: Thursday, 10th October – Friday, 25th October (Mon-Fri only) from 8.30am-4pm | Hidden in the Clouds In-patients and staff of Adult and Older Adult In-patient Mental Health Services at Stobhill have created a collaborative mixed-media collage, encompassing words, creative sewing and embroidery, painting, and illustrative storytelling to express what makes them feel In/Visible. | Mackinnon House, Stobhill Mental Health Campus, 133 Balornock Road, Glasgow G21 3UZ |
| Launch event: Thursday, 10th October from 2-4pm Exhibition: Thursday, 10th October 2024 – Wednesday, 10th September 2025 | The Hidden Revealed This exhibition gathers a mix of painting, drawing, and printmaking made by patients from the three Adult Acute Admission wards at Gartnavel Royal Hospital and patients of the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit, along with work made by Project Ability ReConnect participants. | Location: Art in the Gart Gallery, Ground Floor, The Hub, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow |
| Exhibition: Wednesday, 16th October, from 10am-12pm & 1-3pm Thursday, 17th October, from 10am-12pm | Arts at Restart – Journeys in Recovery This exhibition will feature the work of participants at the NHS Restart project in Glasgow. The artwork explores the participants’ experiences of recovery and stigma, their support networks, and how their time at Restart had a positive impact on their lives. | Location: Art in the Gart creative space, Lower Hub, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow 1053 Great Western Rd, Glasgow G12 0YN |
| Performance: Wednesday, 23rd October from 2-2.45pm | Common Wheel In/Visible Community Music Common Wheel community music presents a performance exploring the festival’s theme, In/Visible. The Gartnavel Royal Hospital Community is invited to this informal afternoon of music, featuring new songs, compositions, and arrangements. Patients, staff, and visitors are welcome to attend this relaxed live performance in the Hub café area. | Location: Gartnavel Royal Hospital Community, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow |
| Exhibition: Thursday the 24th of October from 3-6pm | Anyone Can Do Art An art exhibition at the Recreational Therapy Department showcasing the creative work completed by staff and patients of Leverndale Hospital throughout the year. The event will include collaborations between Recreational Therapy and Glasgow Museums involving art from Joyce Laing’s ‘Art Extraordinary’ collection and artwork created during a wonderful week spent at Glasgow International in the summer will also be exhibited. Chris Gordon from ‘Music in Hospitals’ will play between 3.30-4.30pm and ‘Mind and Draw’ will lead a creative workshop during the full event. Refreshments will be available. | Location: Recreational Therapy Department, Leverndale Hospital, 510 Crookston Rd, Glasgow |
The full festival program can be found here. Online events are also available as part of the festival and can be found here.
For community-based activities, Renfrewshire has a full programme of exhibitions, talks, creative walks and opportunities to get involved in visual arts, poetry, drumming and more. The Renfrewshire programme is delivered by partners, supported by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
A couple of highlight events are listed below.
| When | Event | Location |
| Exhibition: Thursday 10th of October – Wednesday 23rd of October Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9.15am – 5pm Tuesdays, 9.15am – 8pm | Seeing Me – Photo-diaries (exhibition) Many people affected by mental health issues experience social withdrawal, low self -esteem and a loss of identity. ‘Seeing Me’ explores the subject of identity in mental health via the use of photo-diaries as a form of self-portraiture. | Paisley Central Library, 22 High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BS (exhibition is on ground floor) |
| Launch event: Tuesday 15th October at 12.30pm (with food and drinks) Exhibition: Tuesday 15th – Friday 18th October from 11am – 3.30pm Saturday 19 October from 10am – 4pm (alongside craft market) | Neuro Art – Through the Autism Lens. An inspiring exhibition showcasing the incredible talents of Renfrewshire’s autistic artists. Experience the unique perspectives and creativity that highlight the visibility and abilities within the autism community. | Restoration and Creation, 8 Browns Lane, Paisley, PA1 2JH |
Full Renfrewshire Programme is listed here > https://paisley.is/featured_event/scottish-mental-health-arts-festival/
