I loved my time  in the Peter Mac/Monash Health Radiotherapy Dept at Moorabbin Hospital running a new  mini arts project with patients, carers, staff and volunteers.

This  short, light hearted arts-buzz was made possible with a Deakin Arts Participation Incubator Grand Grant – and I am very grateful to them for their interest and support of this work.

RADIATA is about creating small works that could be created and completed in the time spent waiting for treatment or for a relative having treatment. I love of working in hospitals and with people facing life-threatening illness and the personal challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis.   Creating art together gives us the opportunity to talk and to exchange;  this little project offers patients and carers ways to self-soothe, relax and express.   This is especially helpful when feeling overwhelmed by the regime of the treatment and an uncertain future.

I really enjoyed meeting lots of patients and over the time I was in the hospital, some came to create each day, and some joined in as the project took shape and they could see what it was about.   Many others who did not wish to participate creatively were interested in seeing it happen and in having a talk.  I really enjoyed the conversations.

Artworks were postcard sized: stuck to & painted and drawn on. They now adorn the waiting room.  I had originally intended this to be a matchbox art project, but in discussion with the nursing staff at the hospital, we decided to change the scale to make it easier for older patients to create.

The name RADIATA is intended to reflect the environment of the project as well as the effects of participating in art and community.

Hi Anne,
Was nice meeting with you last week, really enjoyed having a chat and just sitting relaxing doing something creative.  It inspired my daughter and I to do some sketching on the weekend, which we hadn’t done for years.  Thanks Anne for your friendly, cheery ways.
Regards,   C

Hi Anne,

It was lovely to participate in your art project at Monash – Peter Mac hospital.

I enjoyed making some art – little postcards that were quick & fun, whilst waiting.

Great having a chat with you and others too.   Thanks again, J

 

 

 

at the dinner hosted by Deakin API.

 

Giving an acceptance speech at the dinner at the Sofitel Melbourne.   I love this photo – in the background are some of the matchbox art works I made with residents of the Rosehill Nursing Home the year before.   The one on the left was made by a Shirley, who has now passed away; but even in her old age she appreciated a young and handsome man!

 

Deakin API Grand Grants : Grand Grants is simple – local artists with a creative participatory artwork idea can apply for a $1000 grant. Each quarter, our advisory panel selects 2 winners, and we host a dinner salon at a lovely local restaurant. Attendees pay $100 to attend, and $50 of the ticket price covers the cost of their dinner and the other $50 is used as a donation to the grant. We pool the cash, and hand it over to the artist in a brown paper bag – no strings attached.

Everybody wins. The artists get seed funding for a new artwork, great exposure, and a boost of confidence. Salon attendees donate to a great project, and experience a great night out.

Like our friends at the Awesome Foundation who inspired this project, we hope that together we can provide a “micro-genius grant for flashes of micro-brilliance”.

further details here : DEAKIN API