MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION & PREVENTION

Arts330 – Art Training and Development Program

As a unique medium, arts is a form of self-expression for everyone without judgements and without limitations. It also allows the color of life flows freely in diversities.

Funded by ‘Arts Development Fund for Persons with Disabilities’, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (New Life) launched the "Arts330 – Art Training and Development Program” for a period of 24 months in January 2020.

The program aims at assisting person with disabilities to improve their arts techniques and creativity as well as the art appreciation level in arts activities. By building such a fair and interactive platform, all participants may learn to mutually appreciate, learn and collaborate, in order to promote social inclusion.

 

 

With the triangular framework design, the main contents of the program include the dry painting, watercolor painting and Chinese ink in visual art. From the basic to the advanced level, People in Recovery (PIR) have the chance to systematically learn visual art by participating in the program.

Level 1	Arts Experiential Workshop	One-off visual art experiential activity for person with disabilities (PWD) to gain hands-on and fun-filled experience
Level 2	Basic Course	Four sessions of basic classes to teach the PWDs basic skills in art, and to deepen their understanding in a specific area of visual arts
Level 3	Elementary Module Course	Elementary courses in visual arts repetitively held in the form of different modules to strengthen their art knowledge with the long-time teaching and guidance by the art tutors and to learn how the art brings the well-being to them
	Social Inclusion	To enhance the art talent of the PIR and promote the better reintegration into the community for PIR through the ‘Community Mural Creation Event’, ‘Social Inclusion Experiential Workshops’ and ‘Community Art Exhibition’
Future	Intermediate and Advanced Unit Course	To systematically improve the art development of PIRs through Intermediate and Advanced Unit Course study

 

The ‘Community Mural Creation Event’ and ‘Social Inclusion Experiential Workshop’ encourage PWDs to try out their art creation together with the people from community. It also allows the PWDs sharing their art talents with others for more harmonious reintegration. With the support from Shatin Pui Ying College, a group of virtual arts majored secondary school students made their art creations at four pillars at their campus together with PIRs. The social workers and students in Tuen Mun have also accomplished the Garden of Mind wall paintings jointly with the PIRs at the Jockey Club Farmhouse.

 

The guiding principles of the recovery model promoted by New Life, including personal strength, self-direction and choice, participation, peer support, non-linearity and hope, are highly related to the growth of art life. We believe that participants would gain improvement in self-awareness as well as physical and mental health status through the art creation.

Click Here to download the art330 painting album

Moreover, through art exhibitions, the PWDs may share their art experience with the people in the area. The public also have the opportunity to appreciate the art talent of the PWDs and exchange the art experience mutually. The art exhibition enables the public to have more understanding and sincere acceptance of PWDs.

"art330-Art Training and Development Program” Exhibition

Disclaimer:

"Arts330 –Art Training and Development Program” is funded by the Arts Development Fund for Persons with Disabilities of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The content of the programs and activities does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government). HKSAR Government provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the HKSAR government.