People with mental health and substance abuse experience in North Bay will soon have access to free, year-long multidisciplinary art classes thanks to a new partnership between Workman Arts (Toronto), ArtFix of Nipissing, and White Water Gallery. The project aims to bring meaningful opportunities outside of the mainstream mental health system.
"Through this initiative, the project partners want to raise awareness of the prevalence of social isolation in people with lived experience and the benefits of participating in the arts as an effective way to increase the sense of belonging to a community, expand social networks and build social skills," says a news release from the group. "This evidence-based program has been successfully implemented in Toronto by Workman Arts for over 30 years."
Program participants are engaged in art training courses taught by local professional artists. The Drop-In Studio hours and end-of-season art showcases provide opportunities for program participants to promote their art to the public.
Weekly classes will be held at the White Water Gallery. All instructors will be local, practicing artists.
If you are an artist facilitator interested in facilitating an arts-based workshop, please contact Art Fix for details, as the deadline for expressions of interest is July 30. If you have a suggestion for an arts-based training workshop, please contact Art Fix.
Registration is taking place now for classes beginning in September. Interested participants can register by calling Art Fix at the White Water Gallery at (705) 358-2883 or by emailing [email protected]. Visit https://www.facebook.com/ArtFixNipissing/ to learn more.
For more information about the project contact Nena Pendevska, Scaling Project Manager, Workman Arts Toronto, at [email protected] or 416-583-4339 ext 8, or visit: https://workmanarts.com/programs-events/ongoing/scaling-project/.
Workman Arts is an arts and mental health organization in Toronto known for its artistic collaborations, presentations, knowledge exchange, best practices and research on the impact of the arts on the quality of life of people living with mental health and addiction issues.
