Artist in Residence
On this page
- Lead Organisation
Care for the Carers
- Project contact
Miriam Wilkinson
Head of Communities, Care for the Carers
Tel: 01323 738390
The Artist in Residence project supports carers to share their experiences of caring and raise awareness through arts projects. The project has several different strands:
Writer in Residence delivered creative writing workshops, resulting in production of a carers’ poetry book, twelve short films featuring interviews with carers, and a workbook – a practical guide to help others to take a break in creative ways.
Photographer in Residence workshops helped carers learn photography and capture what mattered to them. This culminated in the ‘Seeing Carers’ photography exhibition at the local hospital, a mobile tour in 2023/2024 and photography book.
Carers told us the projects gave them a meaningful break, a chance to bond with and feel understood by other carers and the opportunity to learn new skills.
With both projects, carers shared stories of their caring experiences in ways that became a genuine catharsis: “It can be a comfort and relief to take time out to be creative, finding ways to express our feelings so that others may hear and be with us in empathy and compassion.”
The photography project was described as a “Powerful form of visual storytelling that will really stay with you and speak to some of the challenges as well as the joys of being a carer.”
- Carers’ Poetry Book (PDF)
- Twelve short films on YouTube
- Workbook (PDF)
- ‘Seeing Carers’ Photography Book (PDF)
- Partners
18 Hours, Artists: John Cole (Artist Photographer) and Evlynn Sharp (poet and lecturer
- Project duration
2019 – 2023
- Key beneficiaries
Adult carers, with involvement from young and young adult carers.
Artist in Residence
Why we started this initiative
We regularly speak to local carers to understand what support they are seeking. We often hear about the need for peer support from other carers, opportunities to part take in activities to take time for yourself and the need to be better recognised.
At Care for the Carers, we want to ensure carers are visible, their experiences are valued and understood.
Out of this, an idea was born to bring in artists to work with carers in creative ways, giving space for peer support, self-expression and representation of caring, all while having fun and enjoying a break.
Our goals
• Offer carers a meaningful break.
• Opportunity to do something with other carers, “people who understand us”.
• Opportunity to try new experiences.
• Opportunity to learn new skills.
• Opportunity to feel creative.
• Opportunity to express yourself and your identity.
• Opportunity to explore the caring role and to share experiences of caring with wider public.
• Create long term resource for other carers to use and / or to raise public awareness of carers and caring.
How we’re implementing it
We worked with two artists and a local creative arts charity. The projects were a true collaboration between carers and staff.
More than 300 carers took part in Writer in Residence programme, over two years.
The Covid-19 pandemic affected the photography project, but the artist and carers moved online, deciding that is was important to continue during the lockdown – a very isolating and difficult experience for all of us, including many carers. The sessions used creativity to enhance mental health and wellbeing, and to provide an uplifting break at a difficult time. Fifteen sessions reached 84 carers.
We need our voices to be heard. In creative writing we find our voices, our innermost feelings, our sacrifices…the effects of being a carer.
Carer, creative writing workshop
The lives of carers are often hidden. For those to be shared we needed a safe space, where carers could express deep and powerful emotions. The creative facilitation empowered people to self-express, the writing and photography allowed carers to just be themselves, see themselves and speak themselves.
Carers said they felt lost and invisible and that the artists created moments for carers to feel a sense of achievement and pride.
One carer at the writing workshop said: “We need our voices to be heard. In creative writing we find our voices, our innermost feelings, our sacrifices.”
The poet involved also spoke about her experience of working with carers on this project: “The people who came to the workshops are the voices of thousands of more people who aren’t able to express their stories. Precious people who are giving and giving and then giving more. What a human being this is.”
The Artist in Residence Project uniquely appealed to carers of all ages.
The creative outcomes of the project remained as a legacy and are used at existing stalls and community events.
The Photographer in Residence generated a mobile exhibition, Seeing Carers, which we now use across the county to raise awareness about caring. This opens up the conversations and helps people to identify as carers earlier on in their journey.