Let’s see your creative touch Veterans’exhibition goes down a treat
Armed Forces veterans living with dementia are going back to nature and discovering art at the same time.
The residents of Erskine are taking part in Art Adventures in Nature, which is part of Unforgotten Forces, a partnership of 15 organisations supporting older veterans in Scotland.
Led by Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, it sees residents of Erskine Park Home collaborate with artists-in-residence Gill White and James Winnett, to create art inspired by nature.
And all sorts of techniques are being used.
These include filmmaking, sound recording, storytelling, creative writing, model making, sculpture, stone carving, painting and drawing.
And an exhibition at Erskine is now displaying some of the activities in action, as well some of the work that residents have created.
“Art Adventures in nature is about getting our residents outside being creative and using aspects of nature to inspire the work,” an Erskine spokesman.
Artists James and Gill are working in residence in Erskine’s four care homes over a three-year period.
Erskine is Scotland’s foremost care provider for veterans and their spouses and James and Gill are working closely with residents and staff to offer a range of creative activities that meet the individual needs of the people they are working with.
This project is seen as a particularly exciting collaboration for Luminate, giving it the opportunity for a strong relationship to develop between a cultural organisation and care provider.
It is also keen to enable personalised creative activities to be designed for the veterans and their spouses who live in the homes.
Director of Care at Erskine Derek Barron said: “I am inspired and in awe of the wonderful artwork along our cycle path, created by residents at Erskine Park Home along with our Artists in Residence Gill and James.”
Professor Brendan McCormack, who is the nursing professor and head of nursing at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, visited the exhibition.
He said: “This is one of the most inspiring art projects with people living with dementia that I have ever experienced.”