The annual Solace Creative Therapies art exhibition opens this Saturday, October 12 at Narellan library and will feature works of more than 60 artists living with disabilities in Macarthur.
Every single one of them more inspirational than mere words could portray.
There are no better examples of this than Brianna Howie and Olivia Leadbeatter, pictured above and at right.
At the age of eight, Brianna was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, which came as a kind of relief for her family.
The reason for that relief was that virtually from the moment she was born in Campbelltown Hospital, Brianna was at different times on her life diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, mild intellectual learning disability, bone synostosis, juvenile arthritis and Wolf-Parkinson -White syndrome – Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
“My family and I were just happy to have a name or a diagnosis as to why all this was happening and we could get the correct support that was needed,’’ she says now.
Now Brianna is an advocate for William Syndrome awareness, and she also works at a local kindergarten.
But days out from the exhibition at Narellan library, after working on her artwork for months Brianna is just excited to see how entry will be received.
Olivia Leadbeatter was 17 when she was diagnosed with GNB1, a newly discovered genetic mutation.
She was one of the first in the world to be diagnosed with GNB1.
But it seems nothing is going to stop her from achieving her dream of a solo exhibition.
“My name is Olivia, and I am a 22-year-old artist from Camden,’’ is how she introduces herself in a piece written as part of the promotion of the 2024 Solace Creative Therapies exhibition.
“I make art as an expression of my emotions, love for others, and to tell stories. I love to make art because it relaxes me and brings me joy,’’ she says.
“I like to use to vibrant colours and mixed medium in my art pieces. I enjoy making art in all formats and love to learn new techniques.
“I am passionate about making art and I would love to have a solo exhibition one day so that I can share my stories with others in the best way I know how,’’ says Olivia.
As part of Saturday’s official opening, from 10am to 2pm, Solace will be running free activities to demonstrate the value of art and music therapy in our community.
The exhibition itself will be open to the public during all of October, which is also Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Solace Creative Therapies is grateful to Camden Council and Narellan Library for making this exhibition possible,’’ said Abigail Ristevski, creative art therapist – team leader.
