A wee overview of what we have all achieved in 2020
Hi my name is Rachel Toner,
Community Artist for Group Recovery Aftercare Community Enterprise. Normally, I deliver visual art, creativity and animation workshops for GRACE Located in various venues around East Dunbartonshire.
We have all been going through a difficult and unsettling time since March this year, due to Covid 19. In response to this, all our usual venues had to close their doors to keep everyone safe and follow government guidelines. GRACE obviously couldn’t stop supporting it’s members and people of East Dunbartonshire, particularly more now than ever. It was vital that we find a new way to deliver and support everyone.
Robert Smith, founder and CEO of GRACE with his determination and never ending optimism, knew we could continue however it would be done differently and not without challenges. Technology was key to getting this underway. From a community artist perspective, this was a whole new territory for me as I would normally have a structure for a workshop and would turn up with my toolkit. About 90% of my job is to support and nurture people’s creativity, the other 10% is to share my knowledge around application of materials and medium.
I’m not saying that teaching remotely doesn’t have its place, it definitely does. What I’m saying is that when you work with folks that have very little confidence in their creative minds, you really need to be with them supporting them gently and slowly at their own pace.
This new way of delivering creativity on line isn’t without challenges. However, with the determination and receptiveness of the Art Group it’s been an unexpectedly successful journey. I’ve been busy making demos, short films and step by step slide shows. We meet up every Monday via Zoom, keeping connected and supporting one another. The group has worked fantastically hard and they have embraced all the projects I have delivered with a pragmatism to be admired.
We’ve had an online private view/ exhibition for the Art Group members to celebrate all their achievements. This was a lovely event, and the newly learned Zoom skills allowed for members to invite family and friends from far and wide.
The exhibition will be going live, for the public, in the not too distant future.
Art Group Online During #Lockdown2020
