Arts festival kicks off with line-up of anti-stigma events
Posted by See Me, 10 October 2024
The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival will run across Scotland from 10 October to 27 October.
Led by the Mental Health Foundation, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is an arts event dedicated to mental health.
This year the festival will explore the theme of "In/Visible", which will consider what it means to be "visible" or “invisible” when thinking about mental health.
You can find several events related to See Me from the programme below:
Beyond the Canvas: Voices Unveiled
When: 4 October – 1 November
Where: Byres Road Community Hub
Funded through this year’s arts fund, Empower Women for Change will have an exhibition exploring intersections of race and ethnicity and mental health at Byres Road Community Hub.
It will run from Friday 4 October until Friday 1 November. The arts accompanying the promotion looks really beautiful and striking. The launch event is on Friday 11 October from 2pm to 4pm.
You can book a free ticket for the launch event here:
Thrive for a Day
When: Thursday 10 October, 2pm-9pm
Where: Leith Arches
Thrive Edinburgh and a fab collection of organisations, including Rowan Alba who we are funding through this year’s arts fund, are taking over Leith Arches in Edinburgh.
They will work together to create an engaging space where spectators can celebrate and participate in arts for wellbeing.
Check out more details here:
Mindful Creative Writing and Poetry
When: Monday 14 October, 2pm-3pm
Where: Hamilton Town House
Our volunteer Antje will be facilitating a writing workshop at Hamilton Town House library. Antje has previously performed at our Spoken Word night (and has performed at other events). She also runs a weekly writers' workshop.
You can book a free spot here:
See Us, Hear Us: What Lies Beneath
When: Wednesday 16 October, 6pm-8pm
Where: The Submarine Centre, Helensburgh
This exhibition is curated by members of Jean’s Bothy Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub in Helensburgh.
It explores the hidden aspects of mental health and asking, “How can we make the invisible more visible?”
It is an interactive event with activities and displays, which will prompt audience members to explore their own thoughts about mental health, labels and stigma. There will also be a human library, offering people the chance to gain an understanding of the person behind the mask or label.
More about the free event here:
‘In Community’ Screenings
When: Friday 18 October, 2pm-4.30pm
Where: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow
A collection of short films exploring the idea of community, including ‘A Little While Longer’ a beautiful film about men’s mental health and suicide, and finding a relationship with the natural world. This project was funded through See Me’s Anti-Stigma Arts Fund last year.
Additionally, ‘Walking to Connect’ which won the SMHAF community prize this year, is a must see.
Check out further screenings here:
‘Interventions’ Screening
When: Saturday 19 October, noon – 1.50pm
Where: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow
As part of this year’s See Me-sponsored Anti-Stigma Award for the SMHAF International Film Awards 2024, we’ve chosen the short film ‘We Beg to Differ’.
Ruairi documents the underground world of diffing, a community who finds solace in the craft, as they navigate personal struggles and challenges both on and off the road.
The film is about ways of showing support in a community that would be perceived as primarily dangerous and anti-social.
More about the films here:
See Me's Stigma Watch workshop and Solace Choir Performance When: Friday 25 October / Saturday 26 October 3.30pm
Where: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow
As part of the festival’s closing, there will be a two-day showcase of performances and workshops on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October.
Join us, as we’ll be hosting a ‘Stigma-Watch’ workshop on the morning of Friday 25 October supported by volunteers, and The Solace choir who were funded through this year’s arts fund, will perform on Saturday afternoon in the main café space at 3.30pm.