Several events are to be held in Rutherglen this month as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival.
The 18th edition of the festival, which is led by the Mental Health Foundation, takes place from tomorrow, Thursday, October 10 and runs until Sunday, October 27 and will see dozens of events taking place across Lanarkshire.
The 2024 festival theme, In/Visible, will creatively explore what it means to be “visible” or “invisible” when we think about our mental health. Which aspects of our mental health do we keep hidden and which do we share? Who is made to feel unseen and unheard? And how do we challenge the inequalities and systems of power that render people “invisible”?
The festival will include both live and online events. Highlights in Rutherglen will include:
- Hear Me! – A workshop led by Martin Stepek, Scotland’s foremost mindfulness teacher, which aims to help people manage anxiety and the stigma that can often come with it. Workshops taking place in Rutherglen (The Bothy, Cunningar Loop) on Tuesday, October 22.
- Young at Heart Dance workshops where participants can learn a variety of fun-filled dance exercises. Dance can improve self-esteem and confidence and allows people to easily express themselves. If you are feeling overlooked, it can also help you to overcome feelings of invisibility. Rutherglen Town Hall on October 9, 16, and 23.
- In/Visible Women: Changing Rutherglen. A therapeutic drama workshop that offers a creative, safe space to explore the impact of peri/menopausal changes on mental health. Rutherglen Town Hall on October 22.
- Spotlights and Shadows. Join Theatre Tonic as they celebrate their anniversary with the screening of a new film about the therapeutic impact or “tonic” of theatre-making and performance. Rutherglen Town Hall on October 22.
This year’s festival is led by the Mental Health Foundation with support from Creative Scotland, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, Thrive Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, the Baring Foundation, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, See Me, Scottish Recovery Network, Bipolar Edinburgh, media partner The List, and Film Hub Scotland – part of the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI. With donations from trusts and foundations.
Gail Aldam, Arts and Events Manager Scotland for the Mental Health Foundation said: “Every year our group of festival co-ordinators from across Scotland choose a theme together, and we’re especially excited about this one. Invisibility is such a rich theme to explore in relation to mental health.
“It’s an opportunity to talk about all the ways that people can be made to feel invisible and how isolating this can be, it’s an opportunity to talk about stigma, about the things we keep hidden, and about inequality. But we also want to explore visibility – what are the things we choose to reveal about ourselves and our mental health and what are the things we don’t?
“How do we make the invisible visible?
“There are some fantastic events taking place across Scotland including Rutherglen. We can’t wait to see what the SMHAF community across Scotland comes up with in October.”
For more information on all Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Events and to book tickets visit: www.mhfestival.com
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