Thinkarts

Welcome to Thinkarts

THINKARTS provides arts-related events, projects, voluntary and freelance work opportunities for individuals who experience or have experienced mental health recovery journeys.

Recognising talent and expertise, alongside the barriers often experienced by individuals when accessing the worlds of art and business, THINKARTS endeavours to decrease exclusion by developing healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with organisations in the wider community.

THINKARTS members can participate in activities, volunteer, enjoy paid positions or receive permitted earnings which protect benefit status.

We are currently affiliated to NELFT (NHS) .

All are welcome to join or request to work with THINKARTS, this is a community strengthening venture for individuals and organisations alike, so why not let it whet your creative appetite?

Thinkarts Spring Newsletter

Click here for the Spring Edition Spring Issue 2009

Paint The Town Red

6th - 17th October 2009

Click here for more details Paint the town red
or call Mary-Anne Cable (administrator Thinkarts) on 0844 600 1218
or Jon Abrams Redbridge Concern for Mental Health on 020 8925 2435 for more details

Refresh your browser!

To see any changes/revisions to this site, you may have to refresh your browser. Click here to find out more about refreshing your browser

Thinkarts members' images must not be used without initial discussion with, and agreement via Vivienne Wheeler (Thinkarts Lead).

About Us

Thinkarts staff members:

Vivienne Wheeler Lead for Thinkarts NELFT
Lead Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitation (Redbridge),
Mary-Anne Cable Administrator
Matthew Lewis Art Therapist
Link for Waltham Forest
Cherry Lawrence Art Therapist
Link for Waltham Forest
Asheley Lotter Occupational Therapist
Link for Redbridge
Nicky Jackson Occupational Therapist
Link for Barking & Dagenhem
Jane Burges Link for Older People Waltham Forest
Michelle Griffiths Link for Older People Redbridge

Who are you calling an outsider?

"Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself"
Albert Camus

In 1971, the term 'Outsider Art' was used by historian Roger Cardinal to apply to products that belong to no movement or school, and are made by people who have no supposed artistic background.

The suggestion is that outsider artists have had no conditioning and therefore show purity of expression. However, the phrase can be misused or misunderstood, and is felt to be offensive to many individuals, particularly those who use mental health services and often experience daily marginalisation from society.

According to current British statistics, one in four people will suffer with a mental health problem during their lifetime. It follows that this will include a quarter of all trained or untrained artists too, whether they are involved in conventional settings or not. Where would that leave Van Gogh or Beethoven if they were living in the 21st Century?

Thinkarts holds dear the importance of equitable access and creative liberty for all artists. To continue removing the straight jackets and labels that exist in both the arts and health, perhaps 'Free Art' or 'Open Art' should become a more fitting description to recognise those making their own work beyond traditional routes.

All Areas
Barking & Dagenham
Waltham Forest

Calling all Thinkarts members! Get involved with Studio 3 Arts

Studio 3 Arts are a nationally respected arts organisation based in North East London. We are a charity and are dedicated to bring high-quality arts activities to everyone in the community.

We are working in the London Borough of Redbridge to help build stronger links between different communities and create pride and awareness of the good things about local neighbourhoods.

This project is taking place in partnership with Groundwork East London and NELMHT.

We are looking for volunteers from Think Arts to take part and act as advocates for the project, help to recordthe work we do and create a celebratory artwork.

In return you will:

Get to work alongside highly skilled professional artists in a variety of different and exciting artforms
Receive training and hands-on experience inusing high-quality cameras, audio recorders and camcorders
Learn about helping to create sustainable communities
Gain self-confidence and communications skills
Have the opportunity to learn about running workshops
Have lots of fun and meet interesting new people!

No previous arts or workshop experience is necessary,only enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and be creative!

For more information and to get involved please contact Vivienne Wheeler or Asheley Lotter on 0844 600 1218 / admin@thinkarts.org or MartinSwan, Studio 3 Arts Project Manager on 020 85947136 / martin@studio3arts.org.uk

Thinkarts Workshop

Indian Highway Creative Workshop

Serpentine Gallery and thinkarts
Present a Serpentine Workshop
Date: Wednesday 18th February 2009
Time: 2.00 - 4.00pm (Arrrival time from 1.30pm)
Venue:Thornebury Day Centre

If you would like to come along and attend please contact Mary-Anne on 0844 600 1218 or email Mary-Anne.Cable@nelmht.nhs.ukto book your place.
Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

For more info about the Serpentine Gallery, click the link. Serpentine Gallery

thinkarts is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Thinkarts Members Gallery

Thinkarts would like to welcome you to our members art galleries.

Our members galleries is an exciting online art gallery, established in 2007, to provide artists with space and exposure.

The creativity and determination of thinkarts artists, wishing to be exposed motivates us. To this end thinkarts galleries will continually present exciting, dramatic and provocative works of art in on the web and to the local art market.

Please click on a link below to go to a individual members gallery

Thinkarts Members Poetry

Click on a link to go to a members poetry page

Thinkarts Exhibitions

Click on a link to go to an archived exhibition

E17 Trail 2008

The exhibition 'Arts and Minds II' has closed now. It show cased more diverse artwork produced by mental health service users in Waltham Forest. The Ferguson centre is hosted the group show including contributions from members of Thinkarts. In addition artwork produced by participants of the Psychiatric Systems Survivors art studio was shown.

The exhibition aimed to value diversity and promote an inclusive sense of community. You can still experience the wide variety of creativity and self-expression on display by clicking the link to go to the online gallery

Six Days In A Lifetime

Vestry House Museum is curating an exhibition of photographic work by members of thinkarts, an Arts organisation affiliated to the NELFT.

Every Thursday at 1pm, for 6 weeks, participants were asked to capture their lives on film.

The results are eclectic, poignant and quite stunning.

Here is a chance to enter their world if only for a brief moment. An opportunity for all to reflect on our own behaviours and experiences; to realize the similarities, and to challenge any differences. To question what mental health means and most of all to...break the chain of misconception.

Six Days In A Lifetime

The E17 Art Trail produces an annual visual art trail with over 300 artists represented in exhibitions and events across the Walthamstow postcode, E17.

The E17 Art Trail was established in 2004 by two Walthamstow based artists. It has grown into an annual event with more than 300 artists from Waltham Forest taking part. Each artist, group of artists or venue in the E17 postcode organises their own events in their homes, gardens, streets, shops, cafes, libraries, galleries and museums and then submits the details to the organisers who produce a printed trail map and this website

E17 Trail 2007

Here's a link to a poster for "Seeing The Wood For The Trees" (Link opens a pdf document)Seeing The Wood For The Trees

Thinkarts Workshop

Indian Highway Creative Workshop

Serpentine Gallery and thinkarts
Present a Serpentine Workshop
Date: Wednesday 18th February 2009
Time: 2.00 - 4.00pm (Arrrival time from 1.30pm)
Venue:Thornebury Day Centre

If you would like to come along and attend please contact Mary-Anne on 0844 600 1218 or email Mary-Anne.Cable@nelmht.nhs.ukto book your place.
Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

For more info about the Serpentine Gallery, click the link. Serpentine Gallery

thinkarts is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Thinkarts Newsletters

Thinkarts Shop

Socrates Mug

Coffee mug bearing the legend "Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock" and a cartoon of Socrates dying in agony.

Click here to open order form.

Drake Mug

Coffee mug bearing the legend "Francis Drake circumsised the world with a 100 foot clipper" and a cartoon of Francis Drake saying "It was a snip"

Click here to open order form.

Milton Mug

Coffee mug bearing the legend "Milton wrote Paradise Lost ...since then no one's ever found it" and a cartoon of Adam saying to Eve "We'll finish off the apple and get an early night" Eve replies"Sounds good to me"

Click here to open order form.

Solomon Mug

Coffee mug bearing the legend "Solomon had 300 wives and 400 porcupines" and a cartoon of Solomon.

Click here to open order form.

Contact thinkarts

Snail Mail

thinkarts,
c/o Occupational Therapy Department,
Goodmayes Hospital,
Barley Lane, Ilford, Essex
IG3 8XJ

Tel: 0844 600 1218

E-Mail

admin@thinkarts.org