Art is fun, there’s no denying it, but so often we are restricted with expectations that we colour between the lines, that we mustn’t get our clothes dirty, that we sit at a table to do it, and on and on the list goes. Add to that, not being able to see the outline of a drawing or the colour variations of a painting, or a diagnosis of ADHD, which makes sitting still for the art process somewhat challenging.
With this in mind, Program Manager, Miriam Bilander, teamed up with Amy Barber, an experienced yoga teacher currently studying a Master’s in Art Therapy, to provide an art experience with no boundaries and no right or wrong.
On Friday the 20th of January, Amy lined the floor of a conference room at Vision Australia in Kooyong with butcher paper and cranked up some hip-hop music.
When 12 children arrived, they were given textas and encouraged to move to the music and draw whatever, wherever.
One little boy drew red scribbles all over his forehead and clothes, another young child spun in circles on his bottom whilst holding a pen so as to create perfect circular lines, some kids traced their parents’ bodies on the floor, and others wedged pens in between their toes and attempted dot art.
At the end of an hour, we had a giant group art mural to feel proud of. In the second half of this session, kids were given colour glue and ‘Magical Liquid’ to make slime.
It was a sticky process and some struggled with the sensory aspect. However, once the slime was properly combined, there was no end to fun as participants worked in pairs to stretch it as far as they could, create air-pocket fart noises, and even add tiny beads to elicit a crunch sensation.
To conclude the workshop, Amy placed a Tibetan singing bowl on the stomach of each young person while they lay down on their backs.
Miriam asked ten year old Elijah, what he liked most about the day and he responded, “I liked the singing bowl because the vibration it gave me was very relaxing”.
A big thanks to Amy Barber for her creative spirit and knowhow, as well as VicHealth for all their support.
This event was made possible thanks to the VicHealth JumpStart! program.
