Creativity inspired by nature was awash with talent in a studio at Hazelhurst Art Centre Gymea this week.
A group of participants from Civic Disability Services, based in Sutherland Shire, were involved in an interactive workshop with Australian artist and University of Technology Sydney art lecturer Eduardo Wolfe-Alegria.
His current exhibition The Underwood is on display in the Broadhurst Gallery until October 16.
The workshop was an opportunity for people with a disability to unite in an artistic space, expressing their creativity through watercolour and collage. The theme was ‘re-imagining nature’.
Workshop coordinator Lorna Jakszewicz of Civic, says the collaborative event fosters positive relationships for individuals who are marginalised.
“In a time when funding is being cut from community services and the arts, it is grass roots initiatives such as this that will serve to provide people with opportunities to actively engage in meaningful activities within the community,” she said.
“By creating these opportunities for active engagement we are enabling people regardless of their ability, to build social relationships, have a meaningful contribution, and through creating that sense of purpose and value, we can improve a sense of well-being.
“We hope to be able to display the final pieces at one of Civic’s community hubs within Sutherland.”
“I used to paint in hospital,” one of the participants, Graham, said. “But then I started to get really anxious. I found the painting exercise freeing. Maybe this is something I could do to get me out of bed during the day.”