Creativity and Connection for National Day of Arts in Care Homes 2021
Going Places - All Change at the Mildmays, a story of creativity and connection:
This National Day of Arts in Care Homes #AICH2021, 24 September 2021 All Change and the Mildmays are celebrating a series of creative collaborations between residents, staff and artists, which have kept us connected during lockdowns and brought some joy over a difficult past 18 months.
Illustrated poetry journeys - While the pandemic kept us all stuck indoors and apart from one another, All Change and the Mildmays worked together to find ways to connect and create. This included garden workshops, virtual artist’s visits on Zoom, specially curated music playlists on CD and illustrated poetry greetings cards in the Spring and at Christmas. In the early Autumn 2020, All Change Associate Artist Francesca Beard grabbed a window of opportunity to work with residents in the garden to create some original poetry about imagined and remembered journeys. As part of a partnership with House of Illustration, three professional illustrators – Joanna Layla, Jhinuk Sarkar and Ben Connors, were commissioned to illustrate nine of these poems. Nine beautiful and original art works were printed professionally, framed and displayed in communal areas at the Mildmays, bringing staff and residents alike a much needed change of scene, and a chance to imagine and journey from the comfort of their home, when Covid restrictions prevented us from venturing far.
Block Parties - Opportunities to come together and celebrate have been few and far between this year, but in between lockdowns - in October and July - All Change artists and residents at the Mildmays have come together in the garden to share poetry, music and dancing as part of a series of Block Parties. Some residents and professional poet Francesca Beard have performed their original poetry work alongside one another, others have performed songs and played instruments, and everyone has enjoyed a drink and a dance to music from DJ Tony Nwachukwu. All bringing much needed joy and laughter.
‘We had a wonderful evening- more to the point -so did the residents! They got dancing, singing, reading poetry. The weather was perfect – and they all wanted the team back again!’ – Marian Howell, Activities Co-ordinator July 2021
The next event in the calendar takes place on the 3 October 2021 to mark the UN International Day of Older Persons 2021 – Silver Sunday and Islington WORD2021 Festival.
Song
Music reminds me
Life’s worth living.
The sound of birds
Lifts up my mind
To the sky.
by Keith Weston
High Backed Blue Chair
What I love is a long sleep
In a blue, high backed chair,
Firm to hold me safe,
With music on the radio,
Burbling like the road outside,
Traffic taking busy people
Here and there,
Back and forth,
And meanwhile,
Me here,
In my chair,
Dreaming.
by Lorenza Beardmore
Dreams of Adventure
As a child, I played
Running on the beach,
Splashing in the waves,
Wind ruffling my hair.
Now old, I sit here,
Watching the flowers grow,
Listening to music
That plucks at my heart strings,
Exploring the universe of my mind.
by Margaret Edney
In dreams I see
Rainbow balloons
Floating in the sky
Casting dappled shadows
On the grass
by Margaret Edney
Going Places is made possible with generous support from Notting Hill Genesis Wellbeing Fund, Islington Giving and Islington Council.
Images:
1. Illustrated poems grid: Poetry by residents and All Change Associate Artist Francesca Beard, illustrations by Top row - Joanna Layla; middle row - Jhinuk Sarkar; bottom row - Ben Connors for House of Illustration
Images printed by: Printer of Dreams
2. Margaret Edney. Photo by Sade Elufowoju
3. Eileen Perdic, Jennifer Jeffery, Margaret Edney. Photo by Sade Elufowoju
4. Keith Weston. Photo by Sade Elufowoju
5. Margaret Edney. Photo by Sade Elufowoju
