Nayri Niara NAIDOC Celebration & Exhibition kicked off NAIDOC week today at LongHouse, Hobart Tasmania.
It was a joyful day today, 4th July. Beautiful music and singing, great food, stories, celebration of culture and country and a gallery of spectacular art and stalls.
Thank you for having Inscape Tas there to join in and facilitate the Art-Making hub.
So much fun and so much creativity by everyone who participated and a delight for those who looked on.
http://www.nayriniaragoodspirit.com/
2 x Life-Scape illustrations at the RHH and a music gig at the Adult Rehabilitation Unit (ARU) at the Repatriation Centre, Peacock building.
Thank you to all involved.
Crystal Campbell and Crystal Livermore have each played a session in the assessment clinic waiting area at Breast Screen Tasmania (BST) in May 2021.
BST do a marvellous job to create a welcoming and calm environment and Inscape feels privileged to work with the staff at BST and add to the ambience with gentle melodies and soothing songs.
Thank you to Kylie Eastley for being on the Inscape Tasmania Board and for your wonderful work in communication and marketing.
You have been with us from the start; this being our 7th year, and we are so grateful for your creative and energetic spirit, heartfelt warmth, dedication and talent and your 100% belief in what we do.
We wish you all the best in your next adventure and we will miss you. You will always be a part of Inscape Tasmania.
Kylie Eastley and Leigh Tesch
Over the last 2 weeks we have enjoyed meeting many of the nursing staff who work in K block on level 9, Royal Hobart Hospital.
(General and Vascular Surgery (K-9West), Orthopaedic & Surgical Specialties (Burns) (K-9East)
This is one of the four groups of nurses who attended Inscape's education sessions. We acknowledge their dedication, skill and compassion and have enjoyed working by their side, visiting their patients at the bedside and performing music in the lobby.
Expressions of Interest are now being sought for a new artist-in-residence project at the Royal Hobart Hospital. If you have an established arts practice (any artform) and are interested in working in an acute hospital setting for a 25 day residency please find out more through the link below.
https://form.jotform.com/211091776994871
Yesterday Inscape had the first ‘Lullabies for Little’uns’ Pop Up session on the Neonatal Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (NPICU) at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH).
Inscape musicians Shelley Cusiter and Tiff Norchick played peaceful lullabies to babies, their families and staff. Thank you to Nurse Unit Manager Julie Doran, Team Leader Sam (pictured below), Karen Ford for her support, and all the dedicated NPICU staff who worked this morning.
Feedback from everyone was extremely positive; shown by plenty of smiles, verbal expressions of gratitude, and lots of thumbs up. Thank you Shelley and Tiff for the gift of your soothing harmonies to create such a relaxing environment. #inscapetas #inscapetasmania #musicinhospitals
Recently, Inscape Artist Jenny Masters illustrated a picture for 92-year-old Leon. It depicts what he loves; being an orchardist in Middleton, his constant companion Toby the dog, Cox’s Orange Pippins (Apples) and the raspberry dessert his beloved Doris used to make for him. #inscapetas #inscape #artinhospitals
Thank you to Crystal Livermore and Crystal Campbell for their beautiful vocal harmonies and guitar playing in RHH K block foyer this week.
These two talented musicians created a relaxed and joyful atmosphere for visitors, patients and staff passing by and we have discovered that the sound even reaches departments and wards in C block due to the great acoustics in the space.
This week we welcomed Inscape's three Guest Duos to the Royal Hobart Hospital public spaces for the first time.
Thank you to our 3rd Duo, Hugh and Declan Foley.
They filled the K block foyer with their unique sound of banjo and guitar; with songs sung by Hugh, adding a fun and individual take on some well-known tunes. It is clear they have been playing together for a long time.
Their excellent musicianship and simpatico is special to hear and they have an extensive repertoire, so we look forward to hearing new songs in the next session in a few weeks. #inscapetas #inscapetasmania #musicinhospitals
Since the COVID pandemic, texta drawings have been one of the few mediums suitable for use due to infection control protocols. These are some of the drawings by patients on ward 2J, the Acute Older Person’s Unit, RHH.
Tanya Maxwell on her first day back, doing relief work on the bedside music program. Here she is in the Inscape office taking care of some correspondence to our health staff referees. Thank you Tan, it’s great to have you back providing uplifting music to patients at the RHH.
During Covid 19 we were forced to pause our program, so it was wonderful to have Inscape artist, Jenny Masters back at work. With all the new protocols since COVID 19 and an unfamiliar environment to create work in, Jenny managed to capture the essence of 91 year old Mavis.
Mavis has many fond memories; some of them are working as a Bus conductress in 1948 in Perth, riding her baby sister’s pram with her siblings, listening to Peter Allen, and special moments feeding her first born son. Jenny was impressed with the new easel we purchased through a recently acquired Hobart City Council grant and was chuffed to be back connecting with patients.
Inscape Tasmania was able to support Keith and his team with the community engagement aspect of the ‘Catching Your Breath’ project late in 2019, just before COVID hit.
If it had been any later, COVID would have put the whole process on hold for an indefinite period of time. We feel very grateful that the beautiful artwork is hanging in the main foyer of the Royal Hobart Hospital holding the breaths of people from the hospital community; with their stories recorded on Keith’s website.
peterwhytephotography.com Great to have photographed the installation of ‘Catching Your Breath’
Inscape celebrates the work of RHH staff and the people they care for, in a new display of work titled By Heart. Georgia Headley, Jen Codee installed the By Heart artworks in Ward 2D, the Cardiac Care Unit, entrance corridor last week.
By Heart is a tribute to the ward community and acknowledges the resilience of patients and the dedication of the staff. In October, patients and staff spent a month participated in art making, sharing their stories and uncovering hidden creative sparks. A huge thanks to all the artists involved including Carol, John, Rosie, Georgia, Steve and Yvonne
Inscape Recognised
This certificate was awarded to Inscape for its outstanding scholarly contribution to Gerontological Nursing Practice. In recognition of the quality of work as outlined in a paper about the work of Inscape in an older persons’ ward.
Born under the shadow of Kunanyi. A Tribute for Kim Foale by Alyssa Bermudez
A written piece by Kim Foale, a wonderful person who recently experienced the ‘Life-Scape’ illustration program with Inscape artist Alyssa Bermudez and the Instrumental program with our musician Will Parsell.
Hospitals are hard on the soul, they are noisy and busy, depressing and lonely. Pain is not the best bedfellow, but hidden amongst the chaos are bubbles of pure magic.
My ward neighbour had a lovely chatty visitor the other day, I assumed he was a nephew or grandson until he popped his head around the curtain, guitar in hand and asked if I minded if he played a song. PLAY was my response, please play, and for a brief minute or two our small ward was filled with music and lightness and magic.
This was such an unexpected gift of beauty on what had been a very hard morning, a gift that sustained me throughout that day.
On Wednesday, the musician popped back in to see my neighbour again, but she was busy with family, so he asked if I minded if he sat with me. Will the muso was from Inscape Tasmania a not for profit that brings art and music to long stay patients in the hospital. We had an interesting chat about all the things and when my neighbour was free he played another song. The power of music can not be dismissed, the power of music in this place is tripled. In hospital your world shrinks so much that small things have an enormous impact.
As is often the case with me, glorious coincidences occur. My friend Colina is a nurse here at the royal and Colina had contacted Inscape to see if I could have a visit from an artist to help me get through the rest of my time here.
The coordinator came to see me and asked if I would be interested in a ‘Life-Scape’ postcard thing or something something. I was really tired by that time and wasn’t really sure what the artist would be doing.
Yesterday my ‘A Team’ extended my stay, 24 hours more seemed a very very very lot of hours more to endure away from home, but realistically only a small price to pay to avoid another return.
In the middle of tearily processing a Saturday release the artist arrived, Alyssa Bermudez @bermudezbahama
We had a lovely chat while Alyssa gathered enough creative information to create a work for me. This work. This gloriously fabulously special work that has given my spirit such a lift.
Pictured is Inscape musician, Will Parsell with Marion Hayes, who both featured recently in an ABC feature about Inscape https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/art-therapy-trial-helping-hospital-patients/11077120
Announcing the launch of our new funding campaign for Instrumental; a unique Tasmanian art program that is making a tangible difference to patients, families and health professionals in our hospitals. We would invite you to view the campaign which is registered with the Australian Cultural Fund, find out more about Inscape and our programs, and would welcome a tax deductible donation if you have capacity.
Instrumental is delivered by Inscape, a not for profit organisation established in 2015 following a successful pilot project. Since then Inscape, which began on one ward, is now operating across the entire Royal Hobart Hospital, as well as the Repatriation Hospital, Breast Screen Tasmania and Milbrook Rise Hospital in New Norfolk. The demand for our program is fantastic, however, we need to find the funds to support this demand. As a not for profit we rely entirely on donations, philanthropy and funding.
Every dollar that is donated, directly funds a Tasmanian musician to be in Tasmanian hospitals, working one on one or in groups, to improve the experience and the environment for everyone. We know that Art and Music is so important for physical and mental health and the increase in demand for Inscape programs is testament to the value and support of our programs. Dr Anna Johnston is one of the many health professionals who has witnessed first hand the impact of the Inscape programs.
"I think this is a marvellous program. I am a doctor at the hospital and can see how much patients appreciate this. Many are scared, lonely, bored and in pain. The chance to enjoy, make and appreciate art and music is an incredible gift. I hope when I am on receiving end - in the bed and not beside it you are there for me too."
Stay in touch via the Inscape Tasmania Facebook page and our new Instagram account which both give you weekly insights into the interaction between our Arts Health Facilitator, the professional artists and musicians and the patients, families and health professionals.
Share the campaign with your colleagues, friends and family and please contact us if you’d like further information.
Inscape is thrilled to welcome Kylie Eastley in her capacity as Arts Consultant to a new art project with the Royal Hobart Hospital. Today she was onsite for an induction by Inscape Arts Health Facilitator, Jacqui Dawborn. Kylie is a founding Board member for Inscape and is being engaged by RHH to research artworks. #inscapetas #artinhospitals
Fantastic to share the Inscape story with ABC. Thanks to Fiona Blackwood and the team for joining us on a typical day in the hospital and for the musicians and artists who are so good at what you do. Read the article here.
PHOTO Courtesy of ABC Hobart. Marion Hayes, 75, often asks guitarist Will Parsell to play her favourite country and western tunes.
