News

With thanks to funding from the Friends of Queen Mary’s Hospital, St George’s Hospital Charity have appointed two new professional artists to work at Queen Mary’s Hospital, creatively collaborating with the community on a weekly basis.

Building on the success of the Resident Artists initiative at St George’s Hospital, and with thanks to a generous £10,000 donation from the Friends of Queen Mary’s Hospital, our Arts Team have been delighted to expand their programme, appointing a professional musician and professional visual artist to plan and lead high-quality creative sessions with patients, their families and staff, helping improve the experience of being in Queen Mary’s Hospital.

Coming in for half a day a week each per week, the artists will deliver sessions with patients and visitors at the bedside or in waiting areas, alongside regular group workshops in the Gwynne Holford Ward.

The Charity is delighted to announce the selected artists are Beth Hopkins (musician) and Monique Jackson (visual artist).

As a cohort, the Resident Artists represent a thorough understanding of the complexities of healthcare settings, and see this as an exciting creative challenge and a chance for unique and original collaboration, using their own artistic excellence as a mechanism to shed light on the contributions of the community.

Will Ninco Larkins, Activities Coordinator for the Gwynne Holford Ward, shared: “It so exciting to welcome back Arts St George's to our ward. After the incredible success of the previous 'Arts Afternoons' project, both staff and patients cannot wait for the weekly sessions hosted by professional artists to begin. It really does bring something new and engaging to our patients in the rehab setting, who are going through very stressful and challenging times”.

Anne Thickett, representing The Friends of Queen Mary’s Hospital, said: “The Friends are delighted to be supporting this very worthwhile project, which will really benefit both patients and staff at Queen Mary's”

Grace Lindley, Arts Engagement Manager at St George’s Hospital Charity, noted: “We are really looking forward to commencing this new project at Queen Mary’s Hospital, providing sustained arts activities for the community through these talented Resident Artists.

"It has been humbling to see the appreciation for the Resident Artists initiative at St George’s Hospital and we are confident expanding the scheme to the Roehampton site will increase the impact even further.”

Starting on Thursday 18 April, both artists will initially come to site on Thursdays weekly during term time, until September 2024. If you, or a patient in your care would like a visit from one of our artists, please email arts@stgeorges.nhs.uk and we will do our best to arrange this.

Speaking of her involvement in the initiative, Beth Hopkins said: "I can’t wait to start songwriting with patients, families and staff at Queen Mary’s Hospital and am so excited to hear the unique stories that will unfold in every song."

Monique Jackson added: “I’m looking forward to spending time at Queen Mary’s Hospital to listen and collaborate with patients in the hope of providing sessions that can feel fun and be a relaxing place to find authentic modes of self-expression.”

Please watch this space or follow @artsstgeorges on socials for updates on how the residencies develop!

The Resident Artist initiative is organised by Arts St George's, part of St George's Hospital Charity. Find out more about our Resident Artists Programme. 

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