A CHALLENGE FOR A GREAT CAUSE!

My Uncle is taking part in an INSANE challenge of biking 100Km on the 10th of May to support ACORN - a charity that supports families caring for individuals living with Dementia. 

PLEASE SUPPORT IF YOU CAN:
http://www.justgiving.com/Nigel-Brunyee?utm_source=email&utm_medium=emails-from-eua&utm_content=shorturl&utm_campaign=eua-email-sponsorshiprequest

iPad engAGE Development...

LOTS OF iPad engAGE News!! 

Check it out at: www.ipad-engage.blogspot.com

We have recently been training and facilitating on 'Live' Projects before starting this week in the four selected Abbeyfield Care Homes! (See the blog above for all the extra details!)

Salford Museum and Art Gallery - Creative Boxes Developed and Ready for Loan!

I was commissioned to design and build two Creative Boxes for Salford Museum and Art Gallery for Residential Care Homes (specifically for residents with Dementia) to loan out for two week periods. 

The two themes we decided to develop were - 'Afternoon Tea' and 'Adventures'…the idea that both themes would expand into other themes and ideas such as Holidays, Picnics, The Seaside etc. I designed around 12 sensory and interactive creative activities in which all the materials are found within the resource. 

In December we ran two full days of training for Care Staff to learn and understand how to best use the Creative Loan Boxes and they will be going out for loan in the next couple of weeks! Care Staff were very complimentary and enthusiastic about how to incorporate the resources into their settings so i look forward to hearing any feedback or developments as they begin getting used...

The idea of Creative Loan Boxes is the complete opposite of Reminiscence Boxes…and in fact they are based around Imagination and the Present Moment, improving well-being significantly. 

New Inspiring Website developed by Bruce Devereux

www.engagecreatively.com 

Engage Creatively is a concept developed by Bruce Devereux…it is a fantastic space to document, share and collaborate with other innovative and fascinating projects across the world. Keep updated for new developments and posts...

Check out this project (one which i feel has great potential in Innovative Mixed Art Form Collaboration): 
http://www.engagecreatively.com/1/post/2013/12/framework-open-collaborative-production-company.html 

HIT RECORD is a Open Record Collaborative Company in which you can manipulate someone else's work through your own Art Form and vice versa. What a great way of development? And a free / exploratory way of doing so!! I hope to develop some pieces from iPad engAGE on here…so WATCH THIS SPACE!!

At present i am writing a piece for this website based on the iPad engAGE Project so keep posted for when it goes live!

ArtWorks, Sunderland University

I have collaborated with a variety of Artists and Academics to deliver a mixture of Seminars and Lectures in Newcastle as part of the ArtWorks programme, supported by Sunderland University. 

It has been really interesting and inspiring speaking and debating to others in the same field, discussing policies and practices. It has made me more aware of my personal morals and ethics i have put into place for projects i facilitate and deliver alongside things i need to alter or improve on. These seminars have allowed space and time to think and reflect, which you rarely get chance to do. 

Painting Memories Project FAME in Helen McArdle Care News!

The RT Project 'Painting Memories' that i facilitated on at Melbury Court in Durham has recently been issued in the latest Helen McArdle Care Newsletter which is issued to all of the Care Homes!!

Jacky, the Activities Co-ordinator at Melbury has been writing an ongoing blog in which Day One was documented in the Newsletter - with other posts on their way in the next editions...

iPad engAGE goes to the 'Art of Good Health and Well-being' Conference in Sydney, Australia

During November i have had the fantastic opportunity of attending and facilitating iPad engAGE workshops at the 'Art of Good Health and Well-being' Conference in Sydney, Australia. 

We started off with a Critical Mass meeting held by Mike White from Durham, discussing collaboration in a wider context. It really got everyone debating and sharing ideas of how to take this forward so the 'Arts and Health' worlds could collaborate effectively. (The group from Critical Mass is shown in the snap above!)

The conference then began on the Tuesday - full of presentations, workshops, choirs, hospital clowns - finishing the conference with a communal dance piece!! It was a great experience and i found out about international Projects and Research that are ongoing across the world. 

The iPad engAGE workshops worked well and even got to collaborate with Simone Flavelle from DADAA on the stARTspeak project (using iPads creatively for individuals with learning disabilities). This was a huge learning point for me as it opened up the possibility of iPad engAGE and who it is focussed at.

I look forward to seeing which collaborations and discussions evolve as a result from this fabulous conference!!