Save the date & join us for our February online artist peer group.
Established in 2015 our artist peer groups are an opportunity for artists exploring health and wellbeing in their practice to gain feedback and support on their projects, ideas or challenges that they are facing. The space is for active feedback, meaning that artists aren’t sharing finished works, but asking for specific support from others attending the session. Together we pool resources and provide feedback in a supportive environment.
Our presenting artists are Samantha Schneider and Isobel Murdoch.
Want to share your work at a future group? Fill out our application form.
Cost.
Free / Pay What You Can (suggested £5)
Images: Samantha Schneider
About Samantha Schneider
I am a visual artist based in London. My creative practice is both personal and confessional, as way to unburden myself and explore my experiences of grief, pain, healing, caring and human connection. My ideas evolve rapidly, moving through a wide range of curiosities, but ultimately, creating is a place where I can lose myself and bear my soul.
I am at my happiest outdoors, immersed in the elements. I am drawn to the grounding, sensory experience of making in nature. Working in this environment is restorative - it helps to regulate my nervous system and connects me to my primal self.
Play is central to my process. I work with materials such as inks and watercolours that invite a sense of unpredictability, choosing to let them lead. Often working on multiple pieces at once, I move quickly and instinctively, frequently incorporating words or poems into the artworks. What emerges in the works is raw, honest, and unfiltered.
I will be sharing a series of self-portraits exploring the challenging emotions and behaviours I was experiencing as a teenager. I have been experimenting with using my teenage diaries, family medical records and material, such as ice to create the work. Through the process of creating, self-soothing and sharing, I feel I am giving my younger self what I needed.
I want to test out sharing the work and get support with the different ways I could show the work and how I could develop participatory workshops around this body of work.
Find out more about Samantha:
Images: Isobel Murdoch
About Isobel Murdoch
Isobel is an art for wellbeing practitioner, running her own online initiative, Medley, since 2020. She runs art for wellbeing challenges on different themes and leads a monthly Zoom group and other occasional bespoke workshops. She also leads a weekly creative wellbeing group for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. In 2024 Isobel received Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice funds for a research and development project entitled Paint your Mind: Art as Tool. This led on to producing a short training course in how to share art for wellbeing with others, which she sells.
“I would like to present my latest work in progress: using journaling and art for wellbeing more widely to help and reach out to bereaved people. Almost as soon as I lost my lovely Mum in 2025, I turned to journaling. Initially - although visual art is usually all-important to me - words felt more of an outlet. But over time, images began to creep in, as I used word art, or drew symbols of how I felt, and the journal became more varied. It became an active space to record, rationalise, express, vent, reflect and, yes, to plan. In parts it was raw, fragile and messy, like my feelings.
I would particularly like to gain ideas and peer support on how to reach new audiences and participants, and also how to collaborate with others who have lived experience of bereavement.”
Find out more about Isobel:
More info about this event.
No creative experience is necessary - just a sense of curiosity and willingness to be supportive to our presenting artists.
Everyone is welcome at this event, regardless of whether you’re an artist, healthcare professional, or general member of the public.
Note on Self Care: The nature of our organisation means that we platform and support the voices of artists that are exploring personal experiences (their own or others) that can sometimes focus on complex issues including health, disability, race, the body, marginalisation, mental/physical health and more. We always encourage you to consider how to self-resource what you need before, during and after engaging with our activities. You can access a list of support resources here.
You’ll need to be aged 16+ to attend.
Questions etc.
If you're not sure if this event is for you or if you have any questions, including about accessibility, please contact info@artsandhealthhub.org.