Hamilton will host more than 30 events as part of the nationwide Scottish mental health arts festival, running from October 10 to 27.
Local events will include workshops on creative writing, pottery and working with fabrics, plus a talk by author Martin Stepek from his latest book sharing his Polish father’s incredible early life.
The theme of this year’s 18th annual festival is “In/Visible”, exploring topics such as which aspects of mental health are shared or kept hidden, who is made to feel unseen and unheard and how inequalities and systems can be challenged.
Hamiton town house will host a series of events including the Pottery for Empowerment workshops on October 14 and 21, where participants will design a mug in a hands-on session, find out about the therapeutic benefits of working with clay and take part in “uplifting conversation”.
Mindful creative writing and poetry also takes place on October 14, with participants using all their senses to produce creative work in a session combining writing exercises, poetry readings and ideas taken from mindfulness; while a fabric expressions workshop on October 15 and 22 will use sewing, painting and printmaking to create a unique tote bag.
Martin Stepek will appear at the Cadzow Street venue on October 15 for his talk, Gulag to Glasgow, telling stories of his father’s life including his time in a Soviet labour camp and the death by starvation of the author’s grandmother.
Gail Aldam of festival organiser the Mental Health Foundation said: “There are some fantastic events taking place across Scotland, including Hamilton, and we can’t wait to see what the Scottish mental health arts festival community comes up with.
“Invisibility is such a rich theme to explore – it’s an opportunity to talk about all the ways that people can be made to feel invisible and how isolating this can be, about stigma, the things we keep hidden, and inequality; but also the things we choose to reveal about ourselves and our mental health and the things we don’t.”
The festival is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and includes more than 220 events across the country; full details and ticket information are available at www.mhfestival.co.uk.
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