Heart to art
Heart to art
For many people, there’s a positive connection between art and mental health. Here are some highlights of our first ever art exhibition.
We are always looking for new and unique ways of raising funds to continue our work. Last year, the idea of holding an art event was first suggested. We think it’s safe to say that the resulting exhibition, held at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London, has proved to be a great success.
We’re aware that many of our events are based on music and sport or other physical activities and we’re keen to broaden our appeal to people with different interests. An art masterclass, Unleash Your Inner Artist, was very successful, so it seemed a natural progression to explore another art event on a larger scale.
Generous support
Large-scale it certainly was! From 18 to 22 March, we took over a space at the Mall Galleries, with 80 artists exhibiting more than 400 pieces of art, including sculptures, ceramics and paintings in many different media. It drew in 1,420 visitors and raised a brilliant £166,525. We are very grateful to the artists who donated 50 percent, and in some cases 100 percent, of the sale proceeds to us. As well as the main exhibition, there was a lot going on to pique visitors’ interest, not just in art but also in the work of the Trust.
More than 300 guests attended a launch event on the evening of 18 March, where the exhibition was formally opened by renowned interior designer Lulu Lytle. There were some fabulous auction prizes on offer too, including an original artwork by Charlie Mackesy which sold for a very generous £11,000!
The following evening, we held an impact and information event for 145 people to celebrate the impact of the Trust. Lisa Thomson spoke about her role as a trainer; Charlie Stanley-Evans and Justin Wateridge shared their fundraising adventure along the Yukon river; and Molly Pridmore talked movingly about her lived experience and recovery from an eating disorder.
During the days, there was a range of events, including a painting demonstration by painter Laura Wallace, a drawing lesson with printmaker Bridget Tempest and a talk by Joe Nickols, who is an art historian and a curator at the British Museum. He spoke about the importance of integrating culture and the arts into society to aid mental health. On the 22nd, there was a closing day celebration featuring talks from the Trust, a Q&A on building your art collection from Sarah McDonald Brown, owner of the Thackeray Gallery, and music from Harrison Cowell.
Youth and community involvement
On Thursday, 20 A-Level art students from Farnborough College, led by former youth ambassador Ginya Marr and illustrator Gary Scribbler (Andrews,) had fun recreating an artwork from the exhibition, giving it a back story or a new purpose. One student said: “There was a very friendly atmosphere. It inspired me a lot and energised me to do a sketch every day.”
The students’ art teacher, Paul Ayres, said: “Thank you so much to the Charlie Waller Trust for organising this, it was a wonderful experience. All the students I have spoken with have been very enthusiastic about the day, and several commented to me that this is the first time they have ever been to a gallery! Gary's workshop was brilliant, and it was lovely to see the students so engaged with the experience.”
Throughout the week, our ‘heart to art envelope exchange’ proved very popular. We encouraged visitors to share feel-good messages in envelopes they had decorated themselves. Mum Victoria Lunn said: "The exhibition was fantastic, what a great idea to involve the children and include their artwork at such a wonderful venue. It was such a happy welcome to see their paintings alongside the artists' work. The messages inside were really special and you couldn’t help but smile reading the beautiful words."
We are so proud of everything we achieved with our first art exhibition. Thank you to everyone who got involved, helping to raise much-needed funds and raising awareness of mental health. A special thanks must go to the exhibition committee, without whom this amazing event would not have happened: Mia West, Julie Cameron, Laura Wallace, Katie Waller, Lucy Fishburn, Katharine Foster-Brown, Melissa Owston, Charlotte Bedford, Emma Barker and Sarah Brearley.
