“Rich and rewarding” workshops bring many benefits

Date of release: 4 December 2024

“By looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”

A trio of Wolverhampton arts projects considering issues of identity, disability and language within a healthcare context has come to a successful close.

Real Arts Workshops (RAW) teamed up with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s Arts and Heritage Group to deliver the projects, which saw school pupils and recovering patients taking part in workshops.

As a result, a 2D collage of The Royal Hospital building in All Saints and a 3D model, complete with a lift off roof, were produced, along with a reproduction painting of Gary O’Dowd’s “Two Worlds” which depicts Deaf and Hearing worlds working together in harmony. And water colour paintings, dot drawings and a 3D model were created using The Weeping Chapel building – part of the original women’s hospital at West Park Hospital.

The workshops sessions formed part of the Care, Create, Conserve project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has seen a healthcare Heritage Centre developed within Wolverhampton Central Library. Visitors can see artefacts dating back to 1840 and discover the rich history of healthcare in Wolverhampton.

RAW is a Wolverhampton-based team led by graphic designer, artist and musician Alex Vann and profoundly Deaf crafter and BSL tutor Gary O’Dowd.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: “We have seen some thought provoking work produced by participants in these workshops – work that really allowed them to immerse themselves in the project.

“And the resultant artworks will help us to raise further awareness of our Heritage Centre and spark greater interest across our communities, as well as prompt reflection.”

RAW worked with Penn Fields School pupils, Warstones Primary School’s Deaf Resource Base and West Park Hospital’s rehabilitation patients.

Gary from RAW said: “It was great to have the opportunity of working with the young people at the Deaf Resource Base at Warstones School.

“We were able to borrow some archive hearing equipment from the Wolverhampton Sensory Team which the pupils had a great time learning about and interacting with. I spoke with the children about how technology has advanced since I was a pupil myself at a school for deaf children in the North East in the 1980s.

In recent times there have been huge advances in digital hardware for Deaf people and smartphone technology now features deaf inclusive apps such as instant messaging, SMS texting, video calls and more specifically platforms such as Sign Video, Zoom, Facetime and BSL 999.

Unfortunately, there are still many inequalities for Deaf and disabled people although BSL has eventually been officially recognised, it’s still not accessible everywhere it's needed or on the school curriculum.  Projects like this are useful to raise awareness of such issues - framed in a creative, fun and interactive way.”

Alex from RAW added: “We found this such a rich and rewarding experience and it was fascinating to see the artworks develop along the way.

“But it’s important to appreciate the wider benefits of these projects as we saw people of all ages developing new skills and gaining a real sense of satisfaction. They also benefitted from positive, social interaction with others and enjoyed working as a team.

“Projects like this help to break down barriers and challenge perceptions and remind us all that by looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”