Toys For Survival is a sculpture project I designed and a partnership between Uncovered Artistry CIC, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, Glasgow Women’s Library and Market Gallery. Six free workshops for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence were be hosted at Market Gallery in November 2019, and delivered by me, with an experienced support worker in attendance. There, participants learned new creative skills in a safe place that empowered them to explore their sensuality and sensory pleasure through art.
Material generated in the workshops was expanded into an exhibition at the Glasgow Women’s Library opening in February 2020, and a publication. The publication was distributed to women’s service organisations and documents the workshops, open sources their methodology, and shares the participants own ideas of healing creative activities.
The exhibition displayed participant’s sculptures alongside art by Joanna Peace, Maria de Lima and I, each of us responding to the notion of ‘toys for survival’. It considered art through the lens of toy making, proposing joy and play as radical, mobilising forces of creative and energetic curiosity.
Toys for Survival was made possible through a lot of hard work and expertise from lots of people, but also though grants from Creative Scotland and Glasgow Connected Arts Network.
