|
-
Black History Month Workshops 2024
Blog post by: Isotou Nadia Halliday This year’s theme is ‘Rewriting The Narrative’. History in general has been written up by the victors but in today’s age how should we perceive the history of black people in our past? This in part is what Centrepieces did in Black History Month as well as produce some excellent artwork. Geoff Norris, Coordinator of Centrepieces, requested that we look at Angeline Morrison’s Sorrow Songs. Sorrow Songs is a term used about African Americans and their suffering during the period of slavery in the USA – Sorrow songs – Wikipedia. Ms Morrison clearly wanted to reflect the… Read more
-
The Abbey Wood Art Fair, September 2024: Sending a ripple through Abbey Wood
By WJC An Art Fair in Abbey Wood? You mean down the hill, the East of Bexley? Yes, how Abbey Wood has changed following the installation of the Elizabeth Line! Set in beautiful, ancient woodland and by the ruins of the Abbey, sits the Lesness Abbey Lodge, a modern glass fronted building alongside the landscaped Monks Garden. Here the fourth Abbey Wood Art Fair was hosted, a one day event with 30+ Artists selling their creations. A new opportunity for Centrepieces and with a team of 4 volunteers, we trooped across the park in glorious sunshine at a seriously early… Read more
-
Dancing in the rain
Blog post by Lilani Dilrukshan Dancing in the rain Oh, dancing in the rain, what a joy it brings.With every step, my heart takes the wings.The puddles splash and the drops ignite.A symphony of sound, a dance so bright. My feet move quickly, and my body sways,As the raindrops play their melodic ways,The world around me fades away,Leaving only the dance, the rain, and I. The thunder drums, the lightning strikesA celestial show, a dance so unique.The rainbow’s colours, a kaleidoscope,A dance in the rain, a symphony to hope. The rain soaks through, the wind blows strong,But my heart sings… Read more
-
The Cycle of Joy – A bit of insight from what I understand to be Joy
Blog post by WJC I have coached many sports and seeing people develop and find Joy in achieving is amazing, a deep part of my life. So when I had to stop sport due to weak bones, I switched my coaching to Art, and it works! I love leading workshops at Centrepieces Mental Health Arts Project as when people grow and achieve, I feel great! I realise that this is an experience of Joy. Joy is important as it fuels our inner being; so what is Joy? I find it difficult to put into words so here are some bullet… Read more
-
Some thoughts about Joy
Blog post by WJC The Theo Paphitis Art Prize this year has chosen the theme of Joy for artists to respond to. This I found both challenging and thought provoking as Joy seems a somewhat difficult concept for someone with anxiety and depression! If they had set sadness. I would have been fine! Three weeks later, thank you LGC as the theme of Joy caused me to think hard and research what Joy is, and even why it’s a bit alien to me. The first and very important point for me is that a reason I do not relate to… Read more
-
Things that stop your joy, feelings of failure
Blog Post by WJC If you’re new to this blog, I have entered the LGC X Theo Paphitis Art Prize which has the theme of Joy. Therefore I am blogging about Joy for August. This post is how I think about failure, as I do not want failure to prevent, or dampen, my experiences of Joy. Managing and living with my mental ill health has often led me to reflect on why I feel so bad but no one mentioned looking at why I feel good! This I think has led me to often think more about negative experiences than… Read more
-
WJC: Choosing my entry to LGC X Theo Paphitis Art Prize
On this blog post, WJC, one of Centrepieces artists talks about joining the London Graphic Centre 2024 Art prize. I came to Art from a sports background and having developed weak bones and a broken leg I had to give up sport and now use my energy for producing art. So a competition? that’s right up my sporting streak, I love to compete, and scoring a goal is amazing. So combining art into a competition was irresistible for me. I volunteer as a workshop leader at Centrepieces and use my sports coaching to develop confidence to produce art in fellow… Read more
-
Centrepieces @ The Pop Up ~ OPEN DAY Saturday 21st October 2023
Article written by Centrepieces Artist and volunteer – Lesley Cody On Saturday 21 October 2023, Centrepieces held an open day at their pop-up premises at Sidcup Manor House. Centrepieces is a mental health arts charity that supports and promotes mental health recovery through the arts. The Mayor and Mayoress of Bexley were delighted to attend the Open Day and get to know more about the work of Centrepieces. They praised the organisation and the event for bringing the community together to discover the power of art as a recovery tool. In the morning there was a family craft workshop run by… Read more
-
Centrepieces Celebrates 20th Anniversary
2019: The Year We Turned 20! Two decades of expressive and exploratory art, promoting a better understanding of mental illness to the wider community As another year comes to a close, and a new one begins, it seems fit to reflect on the past year. 2019 marked Centrepieces 20th anniversary! And what a successful twelve months it has been for our ever-blossoming charity. To celebrate the evolution of Centrepieces over the past two decades, artists engaged in workshops and projects, focusing on the theme of ‘journeys’; in suit of the journey the charity has taken itself. One of the most… Read more
-
Just Trying to Understand
Blog post by Christie Cassisa Sometimes my heart feels like it is going to break and I don’t know why. I feel stuck, sometimes, like that. At that point where my heart is going to break. And I don’t know why. Its not a nice feeling, like there is a tornado coming, and you need to close the door, but for some reason the door doesn’t quite close. And you don’t know why. But its not a bad feeling, like there is an excitement about seeing a tornado, you know that apart from the destruction, you’ve wanted that kind… Read more