'Making Sense - A Collaborative Textile Exhibition'
Workshop series & exhibition at Ninewells Community Garden for Ninewells Hospital and Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025
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I have been working closely with Ninewells Community Garden since spring 2025, gaining experience with running nature-based workshops for adults staying in the Carseview Centre, the mental health clinic of Ninewells Hospital. Supported by the Regional Participatory Arts Fund from the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, I worked with patients and staff from Ward 2 of the Carseview Centre to design a project that addresses the need for engaging, tactile surfaces in the Ward's quiet room.
The admission ward provides acute treatment for people struggling with their mental health, with the quiet room being used as a safe, supportive environment in times of crisis or heightened emotions.
The project involved a series of workshops delivered at Ninewells Community Garden and within Ward 2 exploring different materials and techniques such as weaving, printing, felting, and embroidery. Each workshop allowed participants to experience the therapeutic nature of arts and crafts, gaining confidence in new skills.
Collaboration was at the centre of the project with each workshop session involving the creation of fabric samples that have been joined together and constructed to create a collection of textile wall panels.
The in-progress works were displayed throughout the Festival from October 20th to November 9th at Ninewells Community Garden. After the exhibition, patients and staff continued to work on the panels until April 2026, where they were then finished by Anna and permanently installed in Ward 2's quiet room, providing tactile, interactive surfaces that are calming but stimulating to the senses.
