Picture entitled Tidal Wave, by Uvindu. Uvindu is an an award-winning journalist and freedom of expression activist in exile from Sri Lanka.

Members of the Write to Life group will give a presentation of poetry and prose at Sarum College at 6.30pm on Wednesday, 22 February.

Write to Life is Freedom from Torture’s therapeutic creative writing group. Established in 2000 by award-winning playwright Sonja Linden, it is now run by film-maker and novelist Sheila Hayman who wanted the writers to have opportunities to tell their stories.

Write to Life’s 20 members read at a variety of festivals and, through their writing, work to correct misconceptions and myths about asylum seekers and refugees.

The evening costs £5 and is open to the public. All proceeds go to Freedom from Torture (formerly The Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture).

Write to Life Poster, click to enlarge

The presentation evening is part of The Art of Healing exhibition at Sarum College, which includes a display by the Freedom from Torture Art Therapy Group.  Further details

For more information on the Write to Life group, or Freedom from Torture in general please visit their website www.freedomfromtorture.org

In this sculpture, entitled Flight, artist Charlotte Mayer says she tries to capture the true freedom that the human spirit seeks.

The therapeutic value of art in physical, mental, and spiritual healing has been recognised since the Middle Ages. The earliest hospices, such as that at Isenheim with its famous Grünwald altarpiece, were dominated by large and often exquisitely painted crucifixions, a present reminder of Christ’s sufferings.

Art gave comfort and strength to those who were overtaken by disease and cared for by religious foundations with only the most rudimentary medical help at their disposal. These carers followed Christ’s instruction to ‘heal the sick, feed the hungry, and let the oppressed go free’ which was, and remains, a cornerstone of Christian life.

Sculpture entitled One, by Elizabeth Herstroter.

Participating artists are: Sally Fawkes & Richard Jackson, Elizabeth Herkstroter, Charlotte Mayer FRBS, Ruth Oaks, Keith Rand ARBS, Tracey Sheppard FGE, Will Spankie and Ryan Tabor.

In addition, there is a display of paintings by members of Freedom from Torture’s art therapy group. For details, visit the Freedom from Torture (formerly The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture) website.

Sculpture entitled Into The Light Blue, by Keith Rand ARBS

On Wednesday 22 February (6pm for a 6.30pm start), there will be a presentation  of poetry and prose by members of the Freedom from Torture’s Write to Life programme.  The evening will be held at Sarum College and costs £5, with all proceeds going to Freedom from Torture. Further Details

The Art of Healing exhibition is free and open to the public until 8 May 2012.  Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays).

Contact Sarum College

All photos above are by Ash Mills Photography

Housed in grade 1 listed buildings and based in Salisbury’s beautiful and historic Cathedral Close in Central Southern England, Sarum offers people of all faiths and none a welcoming environment for learning and growth in wisdom and courage.

Sarum College hosts a series of events annually including arts exhibitions, lectures and conferences.

See our website for details

For the third year running the Pokémon Video Game National Championships UK will be held at Birmingham’s NEC where Pokémon trainers will battle each other for an invite to the Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii!

New for this year, players can build their teams using Pokémon from the National Pokédex and must play using the Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version video games for the Nintendo 3DSTM and Nintendo DSTM family of systems.

Players will compete in one of three age divisions, based on their dates of birth:
Junior Division—born in 2001 or later
Senior Division—born in 1997, 1998, 1999, or 2000
Masters Division—born in 1996 or earlier

All tournaments are free to play with entry granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Space will be capped so players are encouraged to arrive early for registration.

The Masters Division line opens 8:00am- 8:30am, the Junior and Senior lines open at 12:30pm and close at 1:00pm

For more information please visit www.pokemon.co.uk/vgc

The Point is a vibrant, welcoming centre for contemporary arts performance and participation. It hosts a programme packed full of dance, theatre, film, music, festivals and family shows. There is also a creative learning programme that reaches out to all parts of the local community, running over 30 dance classes a week for a variety of ages, the Elders Share Arts programme which takes place across the borough of Eastleigh and a host of activity that takes place in schools and colleges. The Point is also home to The Point’s Youth Theatre and Youth Dance Company.

The Point provides a unique meeting place for artists and audiences and is a space which embraces an array of viewpoints, purposes and practices in an environment in which everyone who takes part can be challenged and inspired through creative endeavour.  It is also home to a dozen performance and creative industries companies from early stage and emerging artists to those with a regional and national profile.

To find out more about the Point, what performances, workshops and projects are coming up please visit our website

My Story Through a Lens

Journeys through Photographs and Words

You are invited to Previews on the 10th January 2-4pm and 7-9pm

With the Birmingham Poet Laureate, Jan Watts.

My Story Through a Lens aims to challenge & reduce stigma & discrimination through the content of work produced & its accessibility to the public.

This Exhibition is the culmination of a ten week project involving participants exploring their own individual stories using photography and creative writing.

The group have previously featured their work at the Mindful Exhibition, Arts All Over the Place & Survivor Art Exhibition at Birmingham University.

Shared experiences of mental health issues brought individuals together as artists who express their creativity through photography and writing and leads them to believe:

“Problems don’t have to be the end of the world”

“We are a group of artists who have mental health issues rather than a group of service users who ‘do’ art”

“We have seen a side of life not everyone has experienced, and have benefited from it”

Jan 10th – Feb 18th 2012

Gallery Hours: Tuesday- Saturday 10.30am-3.30pm

http://www.loudeemy.co.uk/

http://www.fotofilia.co.uk/

Indigenous Reality, Reports from the Interior.

Fran Horne, Toby Whitaker and Toft Bevan are three local artists who share a love of making things, a tendency to dream and a common conviction that independent exploration and elaboration of the imaginary is a vital pursuit in an age of manipulated reality.

An exhibition of paintings, drawings and other ephemera
by Richard T Clarke

“My first solo exhibition in a very long time, I’m very excited and honoured to be displaying my work in The cellar gallery of the worcester arts workshop. Running from 23rd October – 18th November, you’ll be able to see some exciting new works, including drawings, paintings and art based objects. Please Come down and have a look! Most of it will be for sale as well.”

Café Bliss is situated in the gallery space of the Worcester Arts Workshop. The Belizean chef ‘Ms Bliss’ welcomes you to take time out in an inspiring space & experience her menu with influences from the Caribbean and Mexico as well as more popular dishes.

We have set opening times, however we are flexible. Look out for the full range of special and themed events on our calendar which will be taking place in the café, influenced by the workshop programme.

Open Mon-Sat 10-17