Rachel is CEO of Raw Material Music & Media and Lydia is a writer, poet and community artist from London who took part in ARRN.
In 2021, our organisation Raw Material Music and Media, was grateful to be part of the first cohort of 24 UK organisations funded by the Baring Foundation under a new funding scheme ‘Creatively Minded and Ethnically Diverse’. We were highlighted as a model of good practice for the creative programme we deliver at our purpose-built studios in Brixton, and our accompanying outreach work in mental health wards in hospital. Through a long and well-established partnership with South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, our work targets South London residents across generations who are experiencing mental ill health referred to us by the Trust through what we now commonly call ‘social prescribing’.
As has been well documented, due to the systemic inequalities particularly faced by Black and Global Majority people, patients with this cultural background are disproportionately represented within UK mental health services. Based in one of the most diverse parts of London, Raw Material has always engaged with cultural practitioners who reflect and represent the community we work with. It was chance conversations with David Cutler, CEO of Baring Foundation and Aakash Bharania then at Arts Council England which catalysed the idea for what became the Artists Represent Recovery Network (ARRN). Both highlighted the fact that whilst there was some positive work happening in healthcare settings, it was mainly led by white artists, not necessarily reflecting the lived experience of the communities they were working with. At Raw Material we were equally aware of the experience of our own artists working in these (often very intense) settings, and the lack of professional training or opportunities to share practice. The ARRN aimed to bridge this gap by providing more representation in healthcare settings and offering training, peer support, and professional development for Global Majority artists already working or hoping to work in the sector.
Aakash and colleague Richard Ings, creative health lead for ACE London, brought Raw together with London Arts and Health and Arts and Health Hub, two key organisations with a track record of supporting artists’ knowledge and experience in this sector. A project team was formed comprising CEO Anna Woolf and Research Lead Elena Charlton from London Arts and Health, myself, Tamara Kohler and then Sasha Leacock at Raw Material, Jide Ashimi Raw’s Co-Chair and independent facilitator, and Daniel Regan, Director of Arts & Health Hub and independent artist. We were delighted that Clare Lovett at the GLA saw the value of the opportunity and was also able to invest and support. As a consortium we co-designed the first programme of training and development which began in February this year and which we hope to run again for a second cohort across 2024/25.
The programme was designed to target 10 “London-based, freelance, ethnically diverse artists who identify as black, brown, people of colour who have faced systemic racism, and who are working in arts & health in a participatory or community setting.” It became important to be as specific as we could be around the criteria. As we began the promotional recruitment campaign it became clear how woefully underfunded this sector is in general and how little training and support there is generally for freelance artists. Many artists who did not fit this criteria enquired and a few even applied despite total transparency regarding the criteria.
The application process was designed to be rigorous but not onerous. We were staggered by the demand with 97 applications for the programme, most of which were eligible and with a high proportion of very strong applications. As a result, selecting the final ten was very difficult and we looked across artform, experience and geographical location to ensure as balanced and diverse a group as possible.
We were staggered by the demand with 97 applications for the programme
We aimed for the programme to be both substantial in its offer but also as supportive and flexible as possible. It included:
- six facilitated sessions led by qualified coach and facilitator Jide Ashimi and Daniel Regan including a range of guest speaker practitioners: Arji Manuellpilai, Roshmi Lovatt, Errol Francis and Jessica Pinson and visits from Richard Ings (ACE) Clare Lovett (GLA) and David Cutler (Baring Foundation)
- 2 placement opportunities in SLAM Hospital wards, coordinated, facilitated and supported by the Bethlem Gallery team Carmel Woolmington and Sophie Leighton
- 2 Action Learning sessions facilitated by Delia Barker
- A seed funding grant of £1700 on completion of the programme
Importantly, all the artists were paid for their time in attending the facilitated sessions and delivering the hospital placements. This led to excellent retention throughout the programme as it made it possible for those who might have had to turn down work in order to take part.
All the artists were paid for their time in attending
We are still gathering the evaluation from the artists and discussing our learning from running this first iteration but some takeaways include:
- We totally underestimated the amount of management time needed to run a programme of this nature – we are absolutely committed to making manifest this kind of systems change, but it has been a huge piece of work for our 3 small organisations.
- The emotional and support needs of artists who have been systematically oppressed/may have their own lived experience of mental ill health are high and we had not anticipated some of the needs that arose.
- Total clarification of dates and opportunities well ahead of time is essential for freelancers.
- More time given to the funder visits – even for experienced artists the knowledge and insight into viable funding opportunities was very much appreciated.
- The action learning element would work better as a bonding/sharing practice opportunity nearer the start rather than the end of the programme
- Additional opportunities such as the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance conference (where ARRN held a session) were really complementary to the programme and appreciated by the artists who took part.
One of the artists who took part was Lydia Rose, a writer, poet and community artist from London:
“When I first saw the ARRN call-out, I was incredibly excited. I knew immediately how important this initiative was to increase the representation of artists of colour working in creative health, particularly in the context of the communities we work with. Even though I knew it would be competitive, I applied with a great deal of gratitude that support like this was out there.
As a Jewish woman of colour with lived experience of mental ill-health, my journey in creative health has been both rewarding and challenging. My lived experience of trauma and recovery through art means I am profoundly connected to my work and deeply empathise with those I work with, which is essential for facilitating spaces that cultivate healing through play and self-expression. In addition, my experience of racism and antisemitism, both through my ancestry and in my lifetime, means I connect with the racialised communities I engage with on a deeply embodied level.
Though the work of ethnically diverse creative health practitioners is incredibly valuable for the health and wellbeing of our communities, it’s often a huge struggle to get funding or support for ourselves as individuals doing intense mental, emotional and spiritual labour.
My experience of ARRN held me in the way I needed to be held during seven months of intense work. Amongst a group of talented artists, the nurturing presence of Jide, Daniel and Delia, and knowledgeable guest speakers, we learnt more about our field of work and how to care for our own wellbeing as a workforce that requires exceptional resilience.
I worked with fellow ARRN member, Bella Okuya, at a mental health ward, where we engaged with participants through poetry, photography and friendly conversation, and looked in awe at the beautiful collages they had made by the end of each session.
Lastly, with the seed funding from the programme, I’m now recording and publishing my first spoken word album and developing skills in other art forms I’ve longed to explore.
With rising violence, Islamophobia and antisemitism across the globe, the work that artists like the ARRN cohort are doing is more vital than ever. If you are a creative health practitioner who incorporates racial and social justice into your work, I want to thank you for all that you do. If you are lucky enough to get onto the next ARRN, I hope it will serve your needs for support and development as it has for me. The team at London Arts and Health, Arts and Health Hub and Raw Material are a lovely bunch and will support you at every stage of the programme.”
For more information on the first cohort of artists who took part in the ARRN please see here
