Creative Health Team
OUR DIRECTORS
Barbara Disney
Following her fellowship to research textile techniques in Nigeria, Barbara has been a pioneer of socially engaged visual art practice for more than 35 years. Collaboration and experimentation is central to her beliefs that art has the power to change lives. She has used her multidiscipline experience to support public art, community projects and art on referall programmes with cultural venues and events locally, nationally and internationally. She was an original Artlift team member, is employed to deliver ArtShed for Bristol City Council and continues to teach adult learning.
Rebecca Lines
Beki is an artist and abstract painter with a post-grad in youth and community education. She has shared her practice for over 30 years since graduating in Fine Art from Glasgow School of Art. Leading on many public art commissions and on the Revive pilot scheme in 2012 for Fresh Arts on Referral with NHS staff, her work has shown the restorative effect of art and creativity on mental health. As artist in residence at Knowle West Healthy Living Centre since 2009 she has firmly established herself as a creative health expert within the Social Prescribing framework in south Bristol and built successful relationships with cultural venues such as RWA.
Julie Matthews
With a background in Scenography and an MA from Central St Martins, Julie has over 20 years experience in design and production, creating environments for communities, festivals and theatres worldwide. Her passion lies in using arts in a social context to bring about positive change and she has been at the forefront of developing Arts on Referral programmes with Public Health, Bristol City Council and cultural venues in Bristol. She has been influential in delivering for Artlift in Gloucestershire since 2007 and works towards raising the profile of creative health through training, mentoring, academic research and consultation.
OUR CREATIVE HEALTH FACILITATORS
Joanna Espiner
Joanna works with ceramics and drawing. She values how making things and using her hands can support her own wellbeing. She enjoys sharing her skills to help others find their creative paths. She loves exploring what can be created using different processes and in her spare time you will often find her experimenting with chocolate.
Susie Walker
Susie has been involved in Community Arts and Arts and Health work both online and face to face for over 30 years around Gloucestershire and Bath. She is inspired by the way that coming together and being creative can bring such joy and change people’s lives in such a positive way. Susie is a multidisciplinary artist, currently focusing on drawing and printmaking in her own practice. She loves being out in nature, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Jess Baum
Jess is an artist, art psychotherapist, potter, and curator. She is an advisor to the International Journal of Art Therapy, having an interest in research and the convergence of the arts and health. She works with both young people and adults, and enjoys supporting people to explore their creative powers!
Nick Hudson
Nick likes finding ways to be creative using simple materials and working with what we have got, the shared experiences and learning and support we get from working together. He enjoys using easy art making methods to explore ways into subjects that can be challenging. Nick offers opportunities in art to create and develop closer, healthier relationships with nature, refreshing and reconsidering the ways we interact with and how we relate to it.
Esme Hodes
Esme is an artist, facilitator, and art psychotherapist. Her work engages with
connection and relationships: to nature, community, and self, in ways that aim to question, develop empathy, and foster a sense of belonging. She enjoys working with children, young people, and adults in a variety of settings. These include community arts engagement, nature-based learning and health and social care. She is interested in cross-disciplinary projects that weave arts and storytelling into our everyday lives.
Amy Lloyd-Jones
Amy Lloyd-Jones is a multidisciplinary artist, performer and storyteller. For over 20 years Amy has delighted in creating playful and immersive theatrical experiences/ workshops, often incorporating puppetry, through her company, Tallulah Swirls. She especially enjoys connecting with children, young people and adults in community settings and has joined as part of the brilliant RIRO team, supporting wellbeing through creativity and co-production.