The art group meets twice weekly – on Thursday and Friday mornings. They have hosted numerous exhibitions and their beautiful art work is visible throughout Forthspring. They fill the whole building with creativity, art work and materials. They recently developed an exhibition for community relations week and have exhibited in other venues such as Conway Mill.
The benefits of art are well recognised and researched including:
- Art stimulates the imagination
- Art makes you more observant – Leonardo da Vinci said: “…painting embraces all the ten functions of the eye; that is to say, darkness, light, body and colour, shape and location, distance and closeness, motion and rest.”
- Art enhances problem solving skills
- Art boosts self esteem
- Art creates a sense of self accomplishment
- Art reduces stress
Viewing art also has important benefits – a study of over 10,000 students found that a one-hour trip to an art museum changed the way the students thought and felt.
Students who visited a museum not only showed improved critical thinking skills, they also exhibited greater empathy regarding how people lived in the past and expressed greater tolerance towards people different than themselves.
http://artloftasia.com/blog/5-benefits-of-practicing-art/
Below are fantastic images from an exhibition in 2018 in Conway Mill, showcasing wonderful work from a project celebrating mill workers – Spinning Jenny.
Well done to all the ladies involved in the group and to artist Fiona Lovely for a great project!
