May 2010
A successful exhibition from the Arts Collaboration has now become the WEAVE community artists exhibition which showcases the mixed talents of this newly formed group of local artists. Do drop in and see what can be done with recycled materials and a dollop of imagination.
I am working flat out with WEAVE to launch the Imagine Arts Festival with the Dragon & The Giant at 11 am and 12.30pm outisde the lower entrance to the St Nicholas Centre in Sutton High St on Saturday 15th May. See
Events page for more details
Simultaneously working hard with ESHEG to finalise the myriad of projects we've undertaken with funding from the Imagine Arts Festival. 2 exhibitions of the visual arts and written word aspects of the Rainbow Lights Project PLUS a performance of the songs at Charles Cryer Theater on Saturday 22nd May at 2pm - FREE but booking essential. Again, check the
Events page for full details.
It has been a delight to work with 5 young kids to create their own song - lyrics and music - for the show and Sutton Film Makers jumped on board and made a music video with them - currently being edited and will be ready in time for Charles Cryer, then posted to You Tube. How cool is that - if I were a kid (erm, yes, big part of me still is!) I would be thrilled with the opportunities that have come about through this major project with minimal funding. We are even going to be self publishing a book as well as making another short film of the whole project. Home education is not just for the kids - it's a family thing and works for the good of the whole!
Totally looking forward to ou family holiday in July - still need to get through June, who knows what will transpire between now and then!
Life is for living, that's for sure!
Enjoy ;-)
April 2010
What an exciting month this will be with The Arts Collaboration setting up their mixed media exhibition on Sat 3rd April. It will be colourful, there will be sculpture - another diverse exhibition with art that depicts scene from Sutton and surrounds. Artists will be using the space as an Open Studio and that will be a great opportunity for people to see the whole process of creation. There will be drawing paper and pens on hand for anyone who feels inspired to get doodling.
Abel Kesteven will be running Clay workshops on Sat & Sun 17th/18th April! See Creative Workshops page for details.
Amazing what an effect different art has on different people. Dave's paintings of Londonscenes proved to be very popular. I hope those who expressed an interest will continue to follow his work. There's a possibility he may be back to do something in the space in the near future - er, watch this space!
March 2010
Exhibition changes again and local artist, Dave Tribe is exhibiting some oils and acrylics for the month and will be in situ every Friday 12-2pm. Dave used to tutor at Scola and heads the Epsom Art Group.
February 2010
The community of Sutton were treated to an interesting exhibition of Islamic Calligraphy from artist Hana Horack Elyafi. We held a Mawlid and Dhikr in the space on 27th Feb with a Whirling Devish and 100 cakes. Delicious.
The highlight of the month was right at the beginning when on 4th Feb I drove 772 miles to Old Trafford, home of Manchester United FC, and presented a commemorative silk painting gift to HRH Prince of Wales. He was very interested in the artwork which was designed by Hana Horack Elyafi. Once the design was traced onto the silk we both got to work and transformed it into a beautiful metre squared silk painting. It was a treat being able to present this in person.
January 2010
31st Jan
Well it seems that the upstairs den will not be happening. The space was only intended for storage and as such I have now been correctly informed that it is not usable as a storytelling den! It has also come to my attention that a retailer is interested in renting the unit and we may have as little as 2 weeks left. It is hoped that we may be able to use a larger unit in another part of the centre and discussions are happening at the moment. All I can say is WATCH THIS SPACE (or one just around the corner!)
Sarah, who runs Crafty Kids Club, was in the space on Saturday showing us and passers by some traditional stitches, which I bodged completely (I was regularly distracted, that's my excuse) and a few mums popped in from the Epsom & Sutton Home Educaion group and enjoyed creating lovely suncatchers (currently on display in the window). Sarah will be back at the weekend for more stitchin'!
Sunday was another busy day and a treat for us, as a family of 4 came in and created a themed silk - mum, dad and 2 kids! It was a real joy to see them working together. Come on Sutton, this is the way to do it!
Thanks to help fom the lovely volunteers, Araceli & Hanat, we made it through another busy creative weekend spreading good vibes to the heart of the community
21st Jan
The Art in Empty Spaces project is gathering momentum, we are now calling it a Community Art Space and are arranging free creative workshops for all ages. The mezzanine level will be cleared by Saturday and we look forward to hosting storytelling sessions in the Den! The spiral staircase to Heaven!
5th Jan
Sutton Town Centre have decided to place art in empty
spaces and are utilising empty shop units in Times Square shopping
Centre. The Silk Roads and a few creations made during Imagine 2009
will be on display for the month. If you have taken part in creating
any Silk Roads, this is an opportunity for you to see your handiwork.
This
will also be the first time the Silk Roads created 'privately' will be
on display - Sutton Housing Society, Friends of the Elderly, Sutton
Mental Health Foundation and Sutton Carer's Centre Silks will be on show
The
exhibition will be open from Monday 4th January to 30th January. Open to the public every Sat & Sun from 2-5.45pm, every Monday, Wednesday & Friday from
12-2pm.
I am aiming to use the
space as a workshop and get around to creating some of my own work -
it's been too long! Send me an email or call before coming...
FULL DETAILS at www.SamiArt.co.uk
Anyone interested in booking the space for a month for their own/group exhibition, should contact me directly.
Lots
of other events coming up - the local Sutton Festivals plus the Surrey
Open Studios Event in June - more details nearer the time
Workshop, Parties, Commissions, Community Events, Team Building: please email all enquiries to info@samiart.co.uk
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Review of 2009
November
SamiArt
took part in organising the Rosehill Christmas Lights Switch On Event
which happened on Thursday 19th November. There was festive fun, carol
singing, opera and the Mayor of Sutton switched on the lights. This
event was organised by Cllr Dave Callaghan with support from sponsors,
Optique Opticians also LB Sutton, Sutton Housing Partnership, Safer
Neighbourhoods Team, Radio Marsden, Hair Location with a lovely festive
Santa’s Grotto being created for the event by a team from the Epsom
& Sutton Home Education Group. The event took place on the corner
of Wrythe Lane and Rosehill.
September
SamiArt took the Silk
Road to Key Largo in Florida as part of a fundraising event for the
Florida Keys Down Syndrome Educational Trust. Participants from the Key
Largo community included parents, volunteers, kids of all ages and DS
kids. We created a Silk Road that will be used by the Trust at future
events. FKDSET aims to encourage excellence for Down Syndrome children
of all abilities, nationalities & groups. It funds extra-curricular
services & therapies & is a resource for finding grants,
scholarships & sharing information. www.FKDSET.org – pictures of
the event here and on the SamiArt website.
As a result of this
event, SamiArt was invited along to the Treaure Village Montessori
School and gave a presentation of the Silk Road Project to 2 classes of
9-11 year olds. The 10metre Sutton Silk Road was brought out and all
the children took turns to hold it up and walk underneath it. They
shared their thoughts on the project in 21 thank you letters. I replied
to them all individually, which was a very moving experience. It was a
pleasure to return to the school at the end of the week and donate my
time to make 2 silk flags with each class.
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The
gallery pages of www.SamiArt.co.uk have been updated with images from
Florida Keys & the Silk Road designed at London Borough of Sutton’s
Imagine Festival Launch Day. There’s also a beautiful 1m square silk
banner designed & painted during workshops I ran for the festival
at Sutton Carer’s Centre which was put to great use during Carer’s Week
in June.
Both the Hackbridge Carnival & St Helier Festival were
successful and we enjoyed taking part in the Hackbridge Carnival Parade
& running silk sun catcher sessions at St Helier. Chagstock was a
great event this year & the highlights for me had to be Adrian
Edmonson’s band, The Bad Shepherds & Squeeze. The windy Devon Moors
weather took its toll on the marquee we were due to work in, so we were
happy to kick back & thoroughly enjoy the festival, the camping
& beautiful location.
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Silk
Road melody maker, Paolo Tossio was busy for the summer’s Hackbridge
Carnival, working in collaboration with local eco artist Simon Honey
& Carshalton Boys School. Simon created instruments from recyclable
materials & Paolo ran percussion workshops & the boys played
their instruments during the parade.
Paolo is currently leading
youth music workshops for Crystal Palace FC’s Community Youth Program,
KICKS, based at the Salvation Army in Sutton. The group of mixed age
teen participant boys are creating a song with lyrics they write &
music they compose with a final production of the track to take place
in a professional studio. It’s a mix of Vivaldi’s Autumn with a slice
of Grime
The girls have chosen to practise singing on cover versions
of their favourite songs from Leona Lewis and Beyonce - some great,
unique voices are coming out!
www.MrPeace.org
Paolo is also
busy creating a new psychedelic trance sound in the studio working
alongside record label owner & producer, Fabrizio Motta, from
PointZero Records. www.pointzerorecords.com
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Silk
Road artist Hana Horack Elyafi building on her success exhibiting at
the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition exhibited at
the prestigious ING Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in
Pall Mall.
http://www.axisweb.org/seCVPG.aspx?ARTISTID=14430
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OTHER NEWS
VACCINATIONS
HOMEOPATHY
Successful
Homeopathy – I went to my dentist with an abscess, caused
by the brown skin of popped corn getting stuck behind one of my wisdom
teeth under the gum. My face swelled with the inflammation, I was
prescribed a course of strong antibiotics and told to come back when
the infection had cleared. I was told by the pharmacist that
antibiotics would take at least 2 days to start working. Instead of
taking them, I contacted my homeopath and took a course of homeopathic
remedies. The first thing that happened, the swelling reduced and the
throbbing pain withdrew from my ear and my jaw, back towards the tooth.
As the inflammation went down, the pain reduced and 3 days later I was
completely back to normal. If you don’t have your own homeopath,
The
Homeopathic Helpline is open daily until midnight and calls cost
£1.50/minute tel : 0906 534 3404. Or check out the BHA website at
www.trusthomeopathy.org
Homeopathy is also available on the NHS
by referral from your GP. Usually there needs to be a funding agreement
in place between your local PCT and one of the 4 NHS Homeopathic
hospitals in the UK Once referred, you will be seen by a Homeopathic GP
who will report back to your own GP. You would usually be referred for
ongoing medical conditions. Please refer to the
BHA websiteto
download relevant leaflets to take along to your own GP as they may not
even know that this service is available. I was referred for treatment
of an overactive thyroid in 2005. I no longer have a problem with my
thyroid.
Low-Cost Homeopathy Clinic
Sadly not
in LB Sutton yet but if you are in the Bellingham/Catford area you can
benefit from low cost homeopathic consultations and remedies from
£10-£20 at the Goldsmiths Community Centre on Tuesdays from 3-6pm,
Castillion Road, Downham. Call 020 8461 4520 or 020 8851 4228 to make
an appointment with Elwood Amey or Rowland Smith. Allow one hour for
your first consultation and half an hour for follow ups
SOUND HEALING with Tuning Forks
Local
Sutton based practitioner Ingrid Hennze is seeing great results in her
patients as their ability to heal themselves improves after a course of
sound healing treatments. Used to treat all levels of dis-ease in
humans and animals. For more information see
www.cosoyo.co.uk
With any ‘illness’ I always check with my medical health professional first and you should too
