2008 Reviews

The Level Playing Field

People who are interested in making life fairer often talk about creating a 'level playing field'. Sometimes people shake their heads sadly and say there is no such thing. Well Creative Connections proves conclusively that it is possible to have a level playing field. And the emphasis is on play. Have a look at the pictures of the artists creating and you will be left in no doubt that they are playing and having fun. The smiles say it all. And for me as a poet I feel absolutely that I have been given a priceless gift from each artist: the very same opportunity to play and have fun. A fantastic way to be inspired and create something new. Each half of the creative connection pair is equal in that process. This is the real heart of art.

Difference can be scary. Confronted with people who look or behave or live differently, it is easy to feel shy, confused, embarrassed, unsure how to behave. People with moderate to severe disabilties who live in assisted accommodation are often quite separated from the wider community. Unless you are the carer or family member of such a person, you are unlikely to have the opportunity to interact with them and thus break down barriers and see our common humanity. Creative Connections gives that common humanity a chance to shine. It is a real and productive possibility for the artists and poets involved, and later for all those who see the results on public display. Nobody loses; everybody wins. This really is as good as it gets!

Liana Joy Christensen

It was an amazing thing for me to be involved in Creative Connections during 2008.

My first reaction when my disk arrived was, what an incredible riot of colour had erupted onto my computer screen! I checked several of the paintings out again and again just to see the vibrant colours and the swirling brush strokes. I felt energised immediately and ideas popped into my head quickly. I saw trees, fairies, blue wrens and people on city streets. Then I read up on my 5 artists, saw their photos, saw the obvious pleasure they had from creating these beautiful images.

When I went to the launch at Warwick Centro, I felt humbled and honoured to be able to meet one of “my” artists. Lisa was a young woman who could not speak, had trouble breathing and could only paint with the big toe on her right foot ! ‘Just talk to her’, the carer assured me. ‘She can hear you and understand you’. So I did. I felt an overwhelming sense of love and of bonding with this young woman as I talked to her about the tiny fairy that I had seen at the base of a tree in her painting. I asked her carer about the two small platypus-like soft toys that Lisa was clutching. They were very important, I was told. They stop the hands from curling up completely, they absorb sweat and they give Lisa something warm and fuzzy to hold onto.

I kept on talking to Lisa and we had our photo taken together. I swear that magic happened that day.

Thank you so much to Maureen and all her helpers for making this happen,

Flora Smith

REVIEW for Creative Connections 2008. I had the privilege to write to four artworks for Creative Connections. This is the second year I have written and I can only say what a gratifying experience it is to be involved in a project such as this. Writing to all the artworks was an absolute joy and I hope I have summed up my experience with the poem I wrote to Lisa’s art about the butterfly effect; nothing can happen in life without there being a butterfly effect and all the artists created something in me and you that leaves us forever changed. Thank you Maureen for this opportunity and congratulations to you and your talented photographer Lynette Bryce on another successful project.

Saz Campbell

Liana Christensen	Flora Smith	Saz Campbell
The Level Playing Field People who are interested in making life fairer often talk about creating a 'level playing field'. Sometimes people shake their heads sadly and say there is no such thing. Well Creative Connections proves conclusively that it is possible to have a level playing field. And the emphasis is on play. Have a look at the pictures of the artists creating and you will be left in no doubt that they are playing and having fun. The smiles say it all. And for me as a poet I feel absolutely that I have been given a priceless gift from each artist: the very same opportunity to play and have fun. A fantastic way to be inspired and create something new. Each half of the creative connection pair is equal in that process. This is the real heart of art. Difference can be scary. Confronted with people who look or behave or live differently, it is easy to feel shy, confused, embarrassed, unsure how to behave. People with moderate to severe disabilties who live in assisted accommodation are often quite separated from the wider community. Unless you are the carer or family member of such a person, you are unlikely to have the opportunity to interact with them and thus break down barriers and see our common humanity. Creative Connections gives that common humanity a chance to shine. It is a real and productive possibility for the artists and poets involved, and later for all those who see the results on public display. Nobody loses; everybody wins. This really is as good as it gets! Liana Joy Christensen
It was an amazing thing for me to be involved in Creative Connections during 2008. My first reaction when my disk arrived was, what an incredible riot of colour had erupted onto my computer screen! I checked several of the paintings out again and again just to see the vibrant colours and the swirling brush strokes. I felt energised immediately and ideas popped into my head quickly. I saw trees, fairies, blue wrens and people on city streets. Then I read up on my 5 artists, saw their photos, saw the obvious pleasure they had from creating these beautiful images. When I went to the launch at Warwick Centro, I felt humbled and honoured to be able to meet one of “my” artists. Lisa was a young woman who could not speak, had trouble breathing and could only paint with the big toe on her right foot ! ‘Just talk to her’, the carer assured me. ‘She can hear you and understand you’. So I did. I felt an overwhelming sense of love and of bonding with this young woman as I talked to her about the tiny fairy that I had seen at the base of a tree in her painting. I asked her carer about the two small platypus-like soft toys that Lisa was clutching. They were very important, I was told. They stop the hands from curling up completely, they absorb sweat and they give Lisa something warm and fuzzy to hold onto. I kept on talking to Lisa and we had our photo taken together. I swear that magic happened that day. Thank you so much to Maureen and all her helpers for making this happen, Flora Smith
REVIEW for Creative Connections 2008. I had the privilege to write to four artworks for Creative Connections. This is the second year I have written and I can only say what a gratifying experience it is to be involved in a project such as this. Writing to all the artworks was an absolute joy and I hope I have summed up my experience with the poem I wrote to Lisa’s art about the butterfly effect; nothing can happen in life without there being a butterfly effect and all the artists created something in me and you that leaves us forever changed. Thank you Maureen for this opportunity and congratulations to you and your talented photographer Lynette Bryce on another successful project. Saz Campbell