Herd Farm Residential, Feb 2024

In February 2024, Friends of the Future hosted its second residential creative knowledge exchange at Herd Farm, Leeds, building on discussions from the previous year's event at Braziers Park, Oxfordshire.

28 artists and therapists from across the region (and beyond) met to explore themes including: power, healing, art, intersections, politics and what professionals working creatively in local communities want and need.

Using the Open Space method, the event had a participant-led agenda and relaxed workshops, with good food and spaces for connection and solitude. The event fostered new connections and perspectives and the results reflect the knowledge/skills of the participants, including those with lived experience.

“The totality is not, as it were a mere heap, but the whole is something besides the parts”

 Aristotle

The event was developed and facilitated by Georgia Cooper a Yorkshire-based (born & bred!) psychotherapist & artist. It was part-funded by The Northern School of Contemporary Dance, where Georgia has supported the emotional wellbeing of dancers in training for over 20 years.

What is Open Space?

“Open Space” is an innovative meeting structure designed to harness energy and facilitate change - it has no agenda, just an invitation. We invited colleagues, friends, and associates, to discuss art, mental health and how the two connect, intersect, overlap and intertwine.

Participants come together in a circle, with no items on the agenda and a blank wall to create one. After an agenda-setting exercise, the group self-organises into workshops to discuss the themes raised.

Themes from the weekend included:

• The dynamics of power in art and therapy, its impact on individuals and communities...and the creative health agenda.

• Recognising the value of art as a fundamental human activity.

• The need for connections among practitioners for mutual support.

• How to get funding that offers communities the right kind of opportunities?

• An immediate need for a professional network of creative practitioners and therapists using creativity in their work.

What's next?

Following this, we formed a Community Interest Company (CIC) in August 2024. As Friends of the Future Collective CIC, our goal is to support Mental Health Professionals and Community Artists, who provide psychological support and emotional connection, via creative activities.

The CIC will offer training, resources, and events to enhance connection and build ethical practices, ultimately benefiting individuals with mental health challenges by equipping creative professionals with better resources and resilience.

Follow along to see what's next...