Stories of change
Toi Ora Live Art Trust
What:Toi Ora Live Art Trust is a unique creative space.
Why:To provide a space where people that have experience of mental illness or distress can explore their creative potential.
How:Providing a shared creative space, classes, and professional tuition.
Target:Adults 18 years and over.
Where: Central Auckland.
Inspiring wellbeing through creativity
"In Toi Ora I found a supportive environment which was welcoming to anyone. Toi Ora was a place to be creative, with the opportunity to access both equipment and quality tutors, who were both encouraging and constructive. Toi Ora gave me confidence to slowly rebuild a shattered life and be creative."
Tricia Hall, Toi Ora board member, currently completing her second degree.
The profile
Toi Ora Live Art Trust is a charitable trust that focuses on creative arts. It offers adults, who are, or have been, mental health service users, an environment in which to explore their creative ideas and potential.
Located in central Auckland, Toi Ora provides an open studio space and a programme of free classes lead by artists who have experience of mental illness and/or an understanding of mental health.
Toi Ora members can work on individual or collaborative projects using a range of art materials and resources.
‘'There is an unspoken tolerance and acceptance. You can be here when you don't feel so well."
Toi Ora member.
The beginnings
Toi Ora Live Art Trust was established 1995 by a group of 15 mental health consumer advocates and support workers. This was in a direct response to the lack of any community-based organisation that provided a service user run arts/recovery service. Since then a long line of dedicated members, staff and volunteers have contributed to the success of Toi Ora.
Early programs included performing arts, music and creative writing. Toi Ora was initially located in a small space in Mt Eden. Initial challenges included securing enough funding and sector acceptance. The positive impact of Toi Ora's early programs led to more funding being obtained, enabling the program to become more diverse. Toi Ora has since moved to larger premises in Grey Lynn as the program had evolved and grown.
Toi Ora has always been service user led. This is enshrined in the Toi Ora Trust deed which states that at least 50 per cent of the board must be mental health service users. This ensures it remains a service user run organisation and that members have a service that meets their needs. Other board members include practicing artists and business people.
Toi Ora Gallery entrance.
Toi Ora has also sought to be representative of the wider community it is located in. Over the years it has successfully formed relationships with both the community arts sector and with the mental health sector including non-government organisations (NGOs), community mental health services and Maori and Pasifika organisations throughout Auckland.
Partially funded by the Auckland District Health Board (ADHB), Toi Ora has also been supported by a number of organisations and individuals. They include the Arahura Trust, the Auckland Regional Consumer Network, Connect, Ange Paykel, Christine Fletcher and Chartwell Trust - as Erwin van Asbeck puts it "the many unsung heroes in the community".
Toi Ora recently moved to larger premises in Putiki Street, Auckland. The new space is open-plan and sunny. While still community-based, the new premises are also located in the inner city arts precinct. Materials and work spaces are located over two floors and include studio and workshop areas, a gallery, computers with internet access and music recording facilities. Art materials, musical instruments, computer software, art and music magazines, DVDs and books are provided.
"Graduating with the degree is a dream come true, is an important milestone in my life and is an assurance that nothing is impossible if we try and achieve. Thank you Toi Ora for giving me a start."
Toi Ora member who went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts.
The process
Toi Ora provides opportunities for learning as well as space for artwork exhibitions and theatre and music performances. As well as supporting members with its own exhibitions Toi Ora encourages and supports artists to exhibit elsewhere and helps arrange opportunities to collaborate with other artists or performers. Toi Ora has a full-time manager and an arts manager plus one part-time administration person. There are also 10 paid tutors who work two hours per week.
It is free to join Toi Ora. New members may walk in off the street or be referred by another sector service. Members can choose to work alone, collaborate with others or participate in one or more classes. Toi Ora delivers 10 arts programs a week and has 320 members. The average term enrolment is over 100.
Classes for the spring 2009 program included creative writing, painting and drawing, mosaics, face and figure drawing, multimedia workshops, Maori arts, printmaking, performance art, music performance and writing, as well as access to the open studio and music recording sessions. Since 2008 Toi Ora has produced at least five visual arts exhibitions each year. Some exhibitions have been held in community galleries and a number of Toi Ora members have exhibited in commercial galleries.
Elizabeth Higgins joined her first Toi Ora class in 2000 and she credits Toi Ora with having made a huge difference in her life. With a previous interest in writing and handcrafts, Elizabeth has taken classes in creative writing, harakeke (flax weaving) and mosaics, as well as drama and performance. Elizabeth says that as well as being a productive use of time, creating takes you out of yourself. She became a board member in 2006 in order to ‘give something back' to Toi Ora. Elizabeth enjoys being part of a service user run organisation and being involved in trying to make a difference to people with experience of mental illness.
"Toi Ora provides a balance in my life. It is something I am doing for me."
Elizabeth Higgins, Toi Ora member and board member.
Don Solomon is the Kaumatua and Maori arts tutor at Toi Ora. Don has taught in primary and secondary schools and been part of the Auckland arts community for many years. Don says the students are his reward. During the harakeke workshop Don and his students describe flax weaving as a wonderful communal experience, which provides an opportunity to create something with your hands, smells great and has elements of tradition. A Maori Toi Ora member says it provides her with a link to her heritage.
Harakeke class - Elizabeth Higgins and Don Solomon.
While making friends, support and the company of others is important to this group, Toi Ora members point out that Toi Ora is not a drop in centre. All agree they find the experience therapeutic in a number of ways but exploring different aspects of creativity and the arts is the main focus.
Erwin van Asbeck, Toi Ora manager says Toi Ora tries to accommodate broad needs and interests. He says creating an environment in which people feel comfortable and confident in is really important. He notes the recent relocation has also improved their visibility in the community and there has been a 40 per cent increase in enrolments.
Bernadette Brewer, Toi Ora arts manager says one of her key influences in working at Toi Ora has been "no matter what experience of mental illness a person has, our commonality is through experiencing the practice of making art". Both she and Erwin agree breaking down barriers and "being able to be a citizen of the world again" is an important aspect of being at Toi Ora.
"Peer support and friendships are developed naturally through shared experiences of working together at Toi Ora."
Erwin van Asbeck, manager, Toi Ora.
The unique approach
Toi Ora has an innovative approach to both the creative arts and to wellbeing. Member run, the focus is on the arts, culture and the creative process, rather than on mental illness. This makes it different from organisations which have therapy or social support as their key focus. However, members meet others who have similar stories to theirs and they often find support in the friendships and social networks they make.
Toi Ora operates as part of the wider community and actively fosters relationships with many other creative groups and services, sponsors and the general public. As well as offering the opportunity to explore creativity in a variety of art forms, Toi Ora offers exhibition, performance and publishing opportunities. People are encouraged to come into the gallery and recent visitors have included Judge Mason.
"People walking in off the street can break down their own misconceptions about mental illness."
Erwin van Asbeck, manager, Toi Ora.
Toi Ora also designs specific workshops to meet member interests and development. Often held during the term breaks, one series of collaborative workshops explored diverse art disciplines. Designed by established artist Thomas Newman Pound, the workshops generated new approaches and opportunities for people to explore familiar and new mediums.
Toi Ora art space.
The results
Over the last two years Toi Ora has achieved increasing recognition for its visual arts exhibitions and musical performances. Some of the successful projects include the following:
- Camelia Petrus and Ian Baker from Tuatara Films produced a short Toi Ora documentary for their entry in the Mental Health Media Grants.
- A growing number of Toi Ora artists have entered exhibitions over the years, including a member receiving the Merit Contemporary Art Award in the 2008 Waitakere Art Awards.
- "Strange Effigy" Andrew Blythe's first solo show at Satellite Gallery was held in August 2008. A further exhibition, "Brain Storm" was held in May 2009. This resulted in positive sales and exposure for Andrew and Toi Ora.
- A documentary about Andrew and his work was screened on TV1 in 2009.
- Toi Ora published a limited edition publication of "Strange Effigy" featuring Andrew's art and poetry.
- Toi Ora art was featured at the Recovery Conference in Orewa in 2009.
- Toi Ora musicians, actors, poets and visual artists were featured at the Walsh Trust Communication Hui as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2009.
- Toi Ora artists are now gaining a reputation internationally. For example, Andrew Blythe's work has been promoted and sold at the New York Outsider Arts Fair over the last two years, including a show in Paris.
- In conjunction with the Regional Consumer Network, Mental Health Foundation, and CADS, Toi Ora organised and provided performers for the "OctGig", a Mental Health Awareness Week music event in 2008 and 2009.
- 2009 also saw the larger community music collaboration Fiesta in the Park on World Mental Health Day, held at Ponsonby's Western Park.
- The annual Toi Ora group exhibitions, RAW VISION at Depot Artspace Devonport in October 2008 and HOWLING DOG at ArtStation Ponsonby in November 2009 included work from a range of art disciplines.
- Presented "Inspiring Well Being through Creativity", a continual screening of art images that showcased the work of Toi Ora members at the 2008 TheMHS Conference in Auckland.
- Received the Gold Award in the consumer services category at the TheMHS 2009 Conference in Perth.
In 2010 Toi Ora is hoping to develop night classes, and develop several new projects including the following:
- With the help of two Frozen Funds Grants, Toi Ora will upgrade their music recording studio facilities and publish the novelette "Blue Messiah" by Peter Finlay, for launching in March 2010.
- With the help of a ReThink Grant, produce a Second Ponderings publication of writing, poetry art and prose from the Creative Writing Class.
- Toi Ora has many years experience producing quality music and CD's. With the installation of its new sound system Toi Ora will be in a position to provide industry standard quality for member and non-member performing artists.
- Strengthen funding via establishing a database of sponsors, known as ‘Friends of Toi Ora'.
Toi Ora undertakes regular satisfaction surveys with members, tutors and stakeholders. These form part of the Toi Ora annual report, available from the Toi Ora website.
Artwork from Toi Ora.
Lessons learnt
Key factors in Toi Ora's success include:
- service user involvement and leadership
- a creative arts, rather than therapeutic, focus
- creating a positive and non-judgmental environment
- high quality classes and tutors who are trained in their fields
- actively seeking links with creative communities nationwide
- linking with, and being open to, the local community
- funding is an ongoing but not insurmountable challenge
- a focus on acceptance, normalisation and destigmatisation.
More information
Contacts
- Erwin van Asbeck, General Manager, or Bernadette Brewer, Arts Manager Tel: (09) 360 4171, Fax:(09) 360 4172, email: enquiries@toiora.org.nz
Website
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Page last updated: 7 November 2008