Arts roadshow celebrating NHS 70-year history comes to Attenborough Arts
A unique arts exhibition celebrating the 70-year history of the NHS has been unveiled in Leicester before embarking on a county-wide NHS roadshow.
Paintings, sketches and poetry feature among more than 60 pieces of work now on display at the Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road, in Leicester.
The work was created by mental health service user artists who attend the ArtSpace arts project, based at The Attenborough Arts Centre. The project is delivered by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) in collaboration with BrightSparks: Arts in Mental Health Group.
Artists worked with participatory artist Scott Bridgwood to produce the works on display, with funding from Attenborough Arts Centre and the University of Leicester.
The exhibition was opened by Michaela Butter, Director of the Attenborough Arts Centre, as part of a special celebration event, with specially commissioned performances of poetry and music also taking place.
Marianne Pape, Education and Outreach Officer at Attenborough Arts Centre, said: “Thank you to Brightsparks’ artists for creating this exhibition of artwork to celebrate 70 years of the NHS. We are passionate about the role the arts can play in the wellbeing and care of people, and are proud to celebrate our wonderful NHS in this way.”
The exhibition roadshow will move to the Bradgate Mental Health Unit on 1 July, where it will form one of the central features of NHS at 70 celebrations by LPT. It will then transfer to the reception area of Westcotes Health Centre in the city, with a smaller satellite exhibition at the Evington Centre on the Leicester General Hospital site.
Plans are also in hand for the exhibition to transfer to the Leicester Royal Infirmary where it will be mounted as a long-term display in the hospital’s well-known long connecting corridor after the NHS at 70 celebrations.