I have started a new episode of talks on the Podcast, which covers Arts and Wellness. I will be talking to artists about their work and how it impacts on their wellbeing, reviewing books, materials and supplies that promote using art as a therapeutic tool and more, and also talk about ways in which we can use art more in our daily lives. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing short interviews that I had with a variety of artist who exhibited at the Caribbean Fine Art Fair which happens in March every year in Barbados.
I got to talk briefly with Minister John King the Cultural
Minister for Arts here in Barbados while he opened the Caribbean Fine Arts Fair
a yearly Art Exhibition, bringing in Artists from all around the world. Minister John King he shared briefly on some
of the plans they have for the arts and National Art Gallery in Barbados. Minister King started his career as a
singer/performer and brings his experience as to his role and insight to some
of the needs of the arts here in Barbados.
Here is the brief talk with on my Arts and Wellness Episode with Minister King.
Some of the takeaways from the talk is the need to raise
awareness of the arts and artists in Barbados, showcasing the work of artists
and looking at building that are empty and can be utilized better.
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| Artist, Mother, and more - Mavis Trought |
Part of my experience is as a carer and an artist with the
elderly with dementia and their carers and running art and creativity workshops. Some of the things that he said
about the buildings that had been disregarded and left to run down – with so
much history that they could tell us about Barbados, struck a similar note in
the way that the elderly are treated around the world.
One of the things that seems to be changing
as a community is the lack of value that we place on our elderly within the
community, with so many feeling isolated, on their own, families fragmented and
they get forgotten. There is so much
wisdom that they have that can often be lost over the generations and we have
to find ways to harness their knowledge and find a way where we can create
inter-generational projects to pass on their wisdom.
In the fast paced life our elderly become casualties, like
the throwaway containers their knowledge becomes undocumented, distant until no one
remembers. We have to spend more time
with them and each other have meaning conversations and experiences, understanding their lives
can still be fulfilling and find ways for the generations to interact and learn
from each other.
So something for you to think about in your creative
interactions is how you can utilize your creative skills to impact on the life
of someone who is an elder and living on their own, or in a care home. How can you be of service and be a blessing
touching the life of someone else.
The next Arts and Wellness podcast will feature artist and photographer Lisa Mona. Sign up to my mailing list and join me each week. The show scheduling is as follows:
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