So finally, after all the hard work, the event is here!
I was a little nervous – we really had no idea what to expect!
tying the last few ends together at university and then getting a taxi with all the set up with us. We made sure to get there early so we were prepared and had plenty of time to set up and get familiar with the space. This was really important to me as it allowed the pace of the day to run smoothly, and there wasn’t any last minute rush which can be quite stressful.
We got our badges, and below you can see a picture of our set up.
When we applied for the event we had forms to fill in regarding equipment requirement and safety checks etc. Originally we requested 3 tables and 6 chairs. We requested so many so the activity could be spread out so the space was inviting and not squished together. When we arrived there was an issue where the equipment that we had requested wasn’t set out for us, so I had to chase up the events team for extra tables. In the end we were given two, and as you can see in the photographs, everything fits on which is the most important. Ideally with the scale we put together, another table would have spread the display out more and allowed more writing space for participants. We did however receive all the chairs we requested. In the end we realised that we didn’t need chairs for the style of display we had put up. The display we had created was inviting for people to come read other peoples contributions pinned up on the boards, and spend a couple of minutes filling out a card to contribute to the exchange of ideas and conversation on Arts for health. The activity and display designed we realised was not inviting people to sit down. We kept some chairs for us to sit down, and also 2 extras for any participant who may need. This taught me to try be accurate next time when requesting equipment and possibly remind the event organisers about equipment that is needed a couple of days before so there isn’t a mix up like we experienced.
Screen printed title cards to clearly display that cards: People, situation and resources. We have tried our best to design the activity so it is visually easy to follow step by step through the process.
As seen below, we have screen printed answer cards: Who? What? How? where the participant will write down which cards they chose in the scenario they have chosen. Then we have provided pens to write with, and pins to stick up their answers.
We have written a brief description of the project and the activity for participants to read, as well as a short description introducing who we are: Tamara and Freya from MMU.
We were placed at the entrance of the Science and Industry museum, which was amazing as it is the point of exit and entry – so you can’t miss us. This was great to get as many people viewing our stand as possible, initiating conversations on Arts for health.
There were many other organisations and groups displaying workshops and projects on the evening based on arts and health.
It was an amazing experience to be a part of the evening and to be amongst everyone else putting on their work.
There were many people asking about the project we were doing, and it was great for me to be put on the spot and really get to the core of what we are doing, and why we are doing it.
The event was also an amazing opportunity to network with other people and their projects. In hindsight I wish I spent more time networking and connecting with other people at the event as it would have been a great opportunity. It was difficult on the night to do this as we only had us 2 to be with the display so we sadly didn’t have a lot of time to explore the rest of the event.
Exploring Arts For Health 
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