Levengrove Park made the perfect setting for the launch of West Dunbartonshire’s local programme for the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival.
The annual arts festival which runs from May 3 – 23 aims to challenge preconceived ideas about mental health.
This year’s theme is ‘Normality?’ and Clydesider Creative has collaborated with several local community organisations to ensure West Dunbartonshire is represented in the national programme for the very first time.
Throughout the month we will be sharing virtual SMHAF events and activities across our social media.
We have also planned our Creative Cafe From Your Couch to tie in with both SMHAF and Mental Health Awareness week. This will run from May 11 – 13 across all Clydesider’s social media platforms.
Check out this exciting programme of events happening in West Dunbartonshire.
West Dunbartonshire SMHAF Programme
- Monday May 3 – Picture Normality: A documentary showcasing photography, artwork and music by the Work Connect community taken in and around Levengrove Park following the easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
- Saturday May 8 11am – 12 noon –A Dance Class for Body & Mind: Join Lottie from Clifftop Projects for an hour of gentle movement for the body and the mind. Find ways to express emotion and feelings without the need for words. Open to all body types, abilities and disabilities, and levels of dance experience.Via Zoom. BSL interpretation will be provided. Book: clifftopdancemindbody.eventbrite.co.uk
- Monday May 10 – Changing Focus Photo Exhibition: Features work produced by clients of Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA) in the first few weeks of the lockdown in 2020. Using virtual participatory photography Inclusive Images worked with individuals already experiencing social isolation, to produce photographs exploring how they were coping with the imposed quarantine which compounded this loneliness and seclusion. View on Inclusive Images Facebook page.
- Tuesday May 11 – 13 – Clydesider’s Creative Cafe From Your Couch: A three-day online festival exploring the themes of nature and normality. It will feature a range of creative activities, personal stories, information resources and an online art exhibition showcasing the creative talents of people in West Dunbartonshire. Free for all to enjoy. View on Clydesider’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Friday May 14 – Lockdown Through the Lens Photo Exhibition: A participatory photography collaboration between Inclusive Images and Stepping Stones to review how participants were coping through the second Covid-19 lockdown, a year on from the first. This online exhibition showcases photographs exploring the ongoing impact lockdowns have on people already experiencing social isolation, seclusion and mental health issues. View on Inclusive Images Facebook page.
- Wednesday May 19 – Clydesider’s Open Mic Night: This is a collaboration between Clydesider and several local community organisations. It will provide a positive space for participants to share their creativity in poetry and prose. By invite.
