SICK! Mental Health Arts Programme (SMASH) call out for female artists

As part of its 10-year commitment to Moston, Harpurhey and Charlestown SICK! are continuing the delivery of the SICK! Mental Health Arts Programme (SMASH), a creative social prescribing project that offers participants a range of innovative experiences designed to:

• Help improve how participants feel
• Increase their understanding of mental health and illness
• Enable them to meet and share their thoughts with others who are facing similar experiences
• Increase confidence in talking about their experiences
• Provide new creative tools for exploring and expressing mental health experience

Supported by The Pilgrim Trust, this iteration of SMASH will have a focus on engaging Women and Girls struggling with their mental health.

SICK! are looking for exciting and diverse artists to deliver creative workshops and/or facilitated conversations to participants referred to them through various mental health services in the community and wider city.

Participants referred to SICK! will consult with the Creative Producer and a dedicated Mental Health Practitioner to develop a menu if engagement for them, they will also both be present through the delivery of all the elements of the process to offer support, continuity and help maintain a safe working environment for all involved.

The 2 elements SICK! are looking for artists for are:

• Participatory workshops (CREATE): artist led workshops developing creativity as a way of exploring their own experiences. The sessions will be carefully pitched to enable participants to participate in ways that they are comfortable with. These sessions are aimed to be up to 2-3 hours long for a group of up to 10 participants.
• Creative Conversations (TALK): Facilitated conversations with artists about their work, the challenges they have faced and their approach to managing their own mental health and wellbeing. SICK! envisage these to be intimate events for a group of up to 10 participants.

You can lead either a workshop(s) or be the subject of the creative Conversation series, or both. All sessions will be held at a venue in Harpurhey on Monday mornings from 10.30am between April 2023 – January 2024.

Fees: For the workshop delivery the fee is £200 per session inclusive of planning with an additional £40 for materials. For the Creative Conversations the fee is £200 per event inclusive of planning.

Apply to the SICK! Mental Health Arts (SMASH) Programme

Application deadline: 15 February 2023