February 13, 2012
Province Announces Support for Arts Program Supporting Mental Health and Social Connections
Artbeat Studio Inc. will receive $20,000 from the Urban Art Centres Program to support Studio Central, a community initiative that increases arts opportunities with a focus on mental-health promotion, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Flor Marcelino announced today.
“Studio Central provides a safe place where artists and residents can work together on developing art programs and projects that enhance quality of life and help build a strong sense of community,” said Marcelino. “The program celebrates community involvement through the arts while recognizing the resilience, creativity and tremendous courage of artists living with a mental illness.”
Studio Central is a program of Artbeat Studio, which was established in 2005 following one Manitoba family’s personal experience with mental illness. In all of its projects and operations, Artbeat provides resources and peer support to promote mental health, healing and empowerment through artistic creativity. Studio Central is a working studio for community residents and includes artists who have completed core programming at Artbeat and are living with mental illness.
Studio Central offers numerous community art programs in a variety of mediums including painting, poetry, music, textile art, culinary arts and weaving.
“At Artbeat Studio we are pleased to receive support for the Studio Central project. This project supports local artists and residents in the Central Park and North Portage neighbourhoods through participatory arts programming,” said Ernie Bart, board member and vice-chair at Artbeat Studio Inc. “This program has the potential to counter entrenched social stigma and to promote positive change through mental-health awareness, equality and social inclusion.”
For more information on Artbeat, visit www.artbeatstudio.ca/.
The Urban Art Centres program is an initiative of Neighbourhoods Alive!
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