Artroom at Roxburghe House

Artroom at Roxburghe House is our longest running project, established in 2008. Artroom is fully embedded within the programme at Roxburghe. Two artists and a writer in residence work three days a week with day unit and in patient participants on a wide range of projects of their choosing. This can take the form of close 1-1 work or group sessions around the Artroom table, where connections are formed and artists inspire one another with the range of materials, processes and creative avenues that are explored in these sessions. These are all closed sessions and via referral only.

Artroom Mental Health

Skene

Artroom at the Skene at Royal Cornhill Hospital currently runs on a Wednesday afternoon and is open to patients of the ward, their family and friends, and NHS staff. The session is very relaxed and provides excellent opportunity for individuals to meet in the dining room and to pursue creativity and enjoy a social experience. Participants often find this session very therapeutic and calming. Due to the nature of ward, we can often work with individuals over the course of weeks or months, forging relationships and seeing positive changes.  

Bonnymuir Green 

Artroom at Bonnymuir is held in the cafe area in a community run garden and cafe in the Midstocket area of Aberdeen – or sometimes outside if weather permits – and is a referral only based session. Participants are welcome to be social, creative and to bond over a common interest, utilising the projects materials and the artists knowledge to help them explore and create their own artwork and creative pursuits. This group is a lifeline to many, who often live alone and lack opportunity for seeing others. Bonnymuir provides an ever-changing array of exhibitions and events which is engaging and inspiring for our participants, in particular the open art exhibition annually in summer in which our group members proudly exhibit pieces they have created at our sessions.  

Artroom Specialist Rehabilitation

ARI 205

Artroom at 205 currently runs on a Wednesday morning and is open to patients of the ward, their family and friends, and NHS staff. The session is very relaxed and provides excellent opportunity for individuals to meet in the day room and to pursue creativity and enjoy a social experience. Participants find this session very therapeutic and can help aid progress in their rehabilitation. We often find participants from this ward move on to NRU so it is a good place to build connection with Artroom, where they can continue their creative journey alongside their healing one.

NRU

Artroom at the Neuro Rehab Unit at Woodend Hospital currently runs on a Monday morning and is open to patients of the ward, their family and friends, and NHS staff. The session is very relaxed and provides excellent opportunity for individuals to meet in the day room and to pursue creativity and enjoy a social experience. We can see that participants find this session very therapeutic and can help aid progress in their rehabilitation. Due to the nature of ward, we can often work with individuals over the course of weeks or months, forging relationships and seeing huge positive changes.

SRU

Artroom at the Stroke Rehab Unit at Woodend Hospital currently runs on a Tuesday morning and is open to patients, their friends and family and to NHS staff. This session has participants from two wards and is often quite busy which is wonderful for individuals to have the opportunity to meet others and have social interaction as well as exploring their creative sides. In this group we often get individuals who have not been creative for decades and in having this opportunity find they really enjoy drawing or painting, often sparking new interest and intention of continuing their newfound creative practice once discharged.

Artroom Young People

Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH)

Artroom at the children’s hospital runs for two full days each week. Based in the Medical and Surgical wards, the artists also take referrals from PAU and HDU, meaning Artroom is accessible to all inpatients within RACH.

Artroom at RACH differs slightly from the other Artroom projects, as almost all of the work is 1:1 with patients rather than in a group setting. This allows two Senior Creative Practitioners to work separately with referrals, offering a more targeted approach to Artroom and making the project accessible to young people in oncology, isolation and HDU who can’t always participate in a group setting.

Artroom in the Community

Health Village

Frederick Street Health Village is the location for our Friday morning Artroom session. Initially being created for dermatology service users, the session is now open to the public and is held in the cafe area on the ground floor. The group is very informal; participants are welcome to bring their own projects as well as utilise our range of materials. The artists are on hand to help with anything specific, including showing drawing and painting techniques and helping individuals with creative decisions about their pieces. The group is an excellent place for individuals to make friends and to enjoy company whilst bonding over a common interest.

AAGM

Artroom at AAGM is a partnership between GHAT and Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums that began two years ago. The session runs on a Saturday morning and is a mixture of referrals, participants from other Artroom sessions and the general public. This is a busy session with two Creative Practitioners and a volunteer to assist an array of participants with their artwork. This is an informal group similar to the Health Village, with people working on their own projects or trying out new materials.