The Seeds of Hope: A New Dawn | News

Please mark your calendar for an exciting and inspiring event launching an art exhibit shining a positive light on veterans’ mental health. 

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new exhibit at The Conference Centre Gallery Space at St Pancras Hospital to celebrate and demonstrate the power of the arts as a source of recovery for war veterans.

Artwork will include photographs from former paratrooper Andy Dawling, who has been travelling across England on a mission to raise awareness of veterans’ mental health and the services that can provide them with support. Having suffered from PTSD after several tours of duty in war zone, Andy has embarked on a pilgrimage to meet other veterans, raise awareness of their mental health issues, and use arts to connect and recover.

The Seeds of Hope: A New Dawn will exhibit mixed media artwork produced by veterans, serving men and women and friends/family and supporters. It will display paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, 3D installation, film and poetry. Following the launch event, there are also plans for film screenings, workshops and panel discussions. The exhibition is also the subject of a short film to be made by award winning documentary filmmaker Anna Bowman.

This exhibition marks 10 years since the Hospital Gallery in The Conference Centre, which first opened in 2003, presented The Way Ahead - the first exhibition in a health care location on the subject of warfare and the arts.

The Seeds of Hope: A New Dawn has been made possible thanks to the creative collaboration and valuable support of The Soldiers’ Arts Academy and other Veterans services who are striving to improve the physical, mental and spiritual lives of veterans and serving men and women and their family members. Other key supporters include Op COURAGE, The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service at the North London Mental Health Partnership, STOLL, The Fighting Chance, SAA the Soldiers Art Academy with valuable key funding by the North London NHS Charitable Fund.

 

More details about the exhibition

Photograph from former paratrooper Andy Dawling’s sand drawings from his 1,000 mile walking mission in 2023. Photo courtesy: A Dawling.

 

EXHIBITION OPENING: Thursday 27 June 2024 from 5.30pm to 8.30pm
THE CONFERENCE CENTRE
ST PANCRAS HOSPITAL
4 ST PANCRAS WAY   NW1 0PE

 

We will be joined on the launch by the following keynote speakers:

• Andrew Machin, Chair of the Central and North West London Armed Forces Accreditation Working Group
• War veterans John Allison, Neil Davies and Andy Dawling
• Celebrated spiritual soul gospel singer Maurillia Simpson
• More to be announced soon

 

Contact Details:

• Camden and Islington Communications team: 020 3317 6291 / 07787 573 261 communications@candi.nhs.uk
•   London Veteran Services: https://londonveteranservice.nhs.uk/
•   The Arts Project Gallery and Sales: Peter Herbert: 0207 916 8416 theartsproject1@gmail.com and https://www.theartsprojectlondon.com/
•   Soldiers’ Arts Academy CIC: contact email Info@soldiersartsacademy.com and https://www.soldiersartsacademy.org/

 

  Further information:  

1. The exhibition preview will take place Thursday 27/6/24 at 5.30pm to 8.30pm, with keynote speeches at 6.00pm. The preview will include refreshments and live music. Open to all but please RSVP to The Arts Project. Theartsproject1@gmail.com
2. Selected work will be for sale. The prices include artists’ donations to related Charitable Funds.
3. Further events around the exhibition will be organised, including talks, entertainment events, seminars and film screenings. For more information, please contact The Arts Project theartsproject1@gmail.com
4. The Seeds of Hope exhibition will run 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday from Monday 1 July 2024 to Thursday 26 September 2024 excluding public holidaysand it’s the summer exhibition in a programme of exhibitions curated by The Arts Project at St Pancras Hospital Conference Centre.

     5. For further information, please refer to: https://londonveteranservice.nhs.uk/ and https://www.soldiersartsacademy.org/ and https://www.theartsprojectlondon.com/ 

Travel:  Bus – 46 and 214. Tube – Mornington Crescent Station and King’s Cross Station.  Over ground - Camden Road Station

  The Arts Project is supported by The North London NHS Charitable Fund Registered number 1053769.