Last week, we were thrilled to be invited to attend Suffolk Artlink’s Brave Art exhibition at Geek Retreat in Ipswich, especially as some of our own customers had work shown as part of it.
Brave Art is Suffolk Artlink’s weekly creative arts course for adults with learning disabilities based in Ipswich, Bury and Lowestoft. The programme is underpinned with a strong ethos of celebrating ability, accessibility, inclusion and wellbeing. Creative and life skills are developed and the programme promotes visibility of artists and their work both within the arts sector and the community. Brave Artists meet on a termly basis and this exhibition was infused with a sense of energy and celebration which Rachel Bennett, Learning Support Tutor says came from “how much closer each group became during the pandemic as we were all meeting on Zoom across the county, coupled with the joy of being able to see each other in person again and exhibit together.”
It seemed like the vibrant artworks covered every wall in Geek Retreat and the venue was packed with art enthusiasts and supporters from across the county. We were treated to a fashion show and then to some fabulous speeches. Two of our customers were among those that spoke. AJ, whose colourful ‘Peacock’ you can see below said “I have enjoyed making art and sharing times with friends, it’s art-tastic!” Whilst Stephen, the creator of ‘Ostrich on Green’ agreed with the general sentiment echoed in the speeches that “Brave Art is a place where we can feel the truth about art, it is a place where confidence is increased and friends are made.”
The exhibition runs until the 10th of August, and we thoroughly recommend checking it out!
We’d like to congratulate all the Brave Artists and thank Suffolk Artlink for the work they do. We’re already looking forward to the next exhibition!
