The initiative for the support of artists with mental problems, from Thessaloniki, wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Blog
Portraits in art
“I don’t care! I’d rather sink — than call Brad for help!” laments Lichtenstein’s 1963 Drowning Girl.
Portraits in art, is a part of the creative workshops for ANTIGONE’s volunteers, focused on the portrayal of the face at various periods of history and in various styles. The volunteers, under the the guidance of the instructor,they study the techniques and styles, gaining an initial diagnosis, before they will find their own way of expression.
Every Wednesday, here!
Visitors for “Face in Different Cultures”
In ANTIGONE the previous days he had some visitors from Turkey interested in the work of the group of CHROMATODROMOS, our initiative for the promotion of artists with mental problems.
The Turkish friends were educators interested in networking with artistic groups, so they were invited to attend one Wednesday’s meeting. After a discussion and an interactive presentation of the group’s work, they were welcomed to participate in a short laboratory for face creation, focused on the representation of the Face in Different Cultures (our topic for the last workshops).
The position of women in different civilizations was an interesting issue, at the moment that many volunteers tried to create the face of the women immigrants they can deal with in their everyday life. Faces with many different colours, various expressions, thoughts for the meaning of a painting, were the discussed ideas that came up from sharing.
An interesting meeting, at the time that our group looks for partners, founders, friends…
The FACE in ART
Creating Faces- creative Faces
Face : The representation of human emotion through facial expression has interested artists since antiquity.
In ANTIGONE the artistic workshops for this period are oriented on face representation in different cultures. Different artists are invited to guide the group of volunteers on the drawing of a face, the expressions, the cultural aspects, the meaning of our inner thoughts. Every Wednesday the volunteers are gathered around the big table, reading books of art, looking for paintings to be inspired, discussing for issues they are dealing with. Is it a group therapy? No, it’s a group of people that they became friends, sharing a common love, art.
Acrilic Painting Workshops
This is one of the most popular activities in our art workshops. It is taught by Cristina Barreiro, one of our volunteers, who once a week teaches painting. She begins with a lesson about light and colour theory, finally the pupils make nice paintings.
Time to be with yourself
At Medlefors we have had 24 hours yoga retreat in October. Twenty-five people came and stayed over night and had pure food (raw food and vegetarian food), drinking yogitea and ginger/ lemon water to detox.
They did a lot of yin and kundaliniyoga, pranayamas (breathing exercise and meditation) and they could choose if they wanted to be in silence or if they wished to speak with others. There was time to be still and rest.  The theme for this time was release and be in the present. The purpose of this 24 hours retreat was to have a break from the ordinary life and take time-in to listen to the mind and body. Yoga teachers were Ann-Charlott and Anneli. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
The chain
This is an activity that we did in the beginning of the term, when old an new students met to get to know each other and form new groups.
In the same way that the links in a chain can become something long and strong, you and your classmates can create something great. Each individual contributes with their link, every day and every moment in school. Today you will also create the chain that will symbolise this.
In the box there are different things and materials that you can use to make your own unique link.
Then put your links together and let them form a chain that will symbolise your class. You will also get a chance to tell the others why your chain looks the way it does.
Remember that links may look very different, and not all are oval…
/Anna, Medlefors
Painting Workshop
Evaluating the week…
We have tried different ways to let the students in our class evaluate their work, and one is the weekly log book.
Our goals with this was to
- remind the students of what we have done the last week
- make them reflect on the things we have done…and themselves
- set goals for themselves…
- …and express what they must (and mustn’t) do to achieve their goals
Every Friday, we wrote about the weeks activities together, and then the students wrote individually about their own thoughts and reactions, and set their own goals for next week.
At the end of the term, we evaluated the whole log book process.
This term we try something else…
It is often difficult to find time to sit down and talk to the students, and many of them are more comfortable in front of a keyboard than face to face with someone, especially if the topic of the conversation is difficult.
Every Friday, my colleague and I give the students in our class time to send us an e-mail. We started the term with sending them an e-mail with some questions about their thoughts, goals and worries, and asked them to reply with quote, to keep up the dialogue. Before next Friday, we reply, give them follow up questions and encourage them to write more, motivate, and not only answer yes or no. We also try to ask questions, that might be difficult (but challenging), about their own reactions, efforts, ambitions and needs.
So, we are trying and exploring different ways to let the students practice evaluating their work…
/Anna, Medlefors
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