RPAH Arterie Volunteers, with Sculpture by the Sea Education Manager Nicholas Gray, participating in creative workshops. Photo Amanda Solomon
The Sculpture by the Sea Education department recently spent the day with Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s enthusiastic volunteers of the Arterie program. Arterie at RPA forms part of a holistic approach to healthcare and aims to ease the side effects of illness and hospitalisation, such as stress, pain, fatigue, isolation and depression, through engagement with art practices and activites. The program is available to the different types of people who come to RPA, including patients, families, carers, staff, volunteers and visitors.
Our Education Manager Nicholas Gray spoke to the group about the purpose and importance of play-based collaborative learning and how these concepts are incorporated into our Artist-led Sculpture Making Workshops. The group was then guided through a warm up exercise to engage fine motor skills using clay to make pinch pots, that were then developed into creatures. Following this warm up exercise the volunteers then worked on wire, wood and paper constructions of horses in motion, based on Harrie Fasher’s work, ‘The Last Charge’. Throughout the activities, it was amazing to see the levels of focus, support and collaboration between the volunteers. Many participants gave rewarding and positive feedback about the links between the concepts and theories in the presentation, and how they applied to the activities in the workshop.
The finished works were a wonderful collection of unique pieces that will be display in public areas of the Chris O’Brian Lifehouse building.
We would like to thank Amanda Solomon, Manager of the Arterie Program, Corinne Doran, the Assistant Manager, and the Arterie team for making us feel so welcome and look forward to our next visit.