To celebrate World Mental Health Day today, the HSE Create-a-Link art centre in Donegal is sending 30 postcards to art galleries and art centres around the world to promote positive mental health through the medium of art.
The Create-a-Link art centre secured funding for the project as part of Culture Night and organised for 30 postcards to be painted by artists past and present who attend the HSE Create-a-Link art centre in Letterkenny.
Each postcard is an original work of art that was produced especially for World Mental Health Day by artists past and present who use the Create-a-Link Art centre.
Teresa Haughey, HSE Mental Health Services Donegal, said: “It is estimated that in Ireland today there are more than 80,000 people who suffer from mental health issues, and many thousands more suffer from addictions and substance misuse disorders.
“As part of World Mental Health Day we want to share our art around the world in order to encourage galleries and art centres to exhibit more work by disabled artists, to embrace and promote social and emotional wellbeing in the community and have a better understanding and acceptance of mental ill health.”
Create-a-Link was formed by the HSE West Mental Health Services in 2002 to promote positive mental heath and wellbeing through art.
People with a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction to alcohol and drugs, go through the doors of Create-a-Link to complete an 18 month rehabilitative art course.
Create-a-Link’s ethos is to promote social and emotional wellbeing through art and personal development, encourage people to maximise their potential and enhance coping capacity to integrate back into the community.
Create-a-Link supports the individual to improve their mental health through art and develop their skills as artists.
All 30 works can be seen at www.artco.com For further information on any of the art, you can contact Peadar McDaid, Art Facilitator, at: peadar.mcdaid@hse.ie
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