Art boosts women’s wellness

By Rebecca Fraser
SURVIVAL Across the Ages will be the main theme tomorrow (Friday) when a community art exhibition is launched at the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick.
The displayed works are the result of a 22week creative art development project run by Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE).
The Survival Across the Ages project was established to provide women who have been affected by family violence (both young and mature) the opportunity to engage in art.
The program gave women the opportunity to work with different artistic mediums and be involved in the development of a travelling exhibition.
Under the teachings of Jenny Saulwick the group met every Wednesday at the Cranbourne Integrated Health Service where they worked with plywood and cloth to create a tableau exhibition piece titled Women in the Landscape.
The piece has been influenced by Japanese contemporary dress style and the tableau consists of 11 figures that aim to challenge perceptions and raise awareness about the impact of family violence on women.
WHISE is a small, communitybased organisation concerned with all aspects of women’s health and well being.
Anna Bendell, Community Development Placement officer with WHISE, said the organisation aimed to respond to the needs of some of the most marginalised women in the community and encourage cooperation and skill sharing.
“A lot of these women were socially isolated before and this way they can form connections and networks and make new friends.
“We believe the best aspect of the program is that it has taken the medium of art to women in the community who otherwise would not have had the resources to access it,” she said.
Sandy BettinkSandell of Narre Warren has been part of the organisation for 18 months and will speak at the exhibition’s opening tomorrow.
Ms BettinkSandell designed two figures for the exhibition, a warrior woman and a pirate.
She said both figures represented her past.
“I feel that my life has changed from bad to good because of being able to hand over my past in this exhibition.
“The figures have come from within me and I would like to say a big thank you to Jenny and the group for allowing me the opportunity to be part of this fantastic group.
“I have been able to release the energies that have been inside me for many years and hand them over to these pieces,” she said.