Recently, during my internet meanderings, I came across a very exciting international community of people with Parkinson’s: Parkinsons.art

They are

… a registered, non-profit organisation run by artists and writers living with Parkinson’s Disease. It is a voluntary initiative with 100% of every donation and funds raised going directly to Parkinson’s charities and supporting arts projects within the community. Parkinson’s Art works closely with Parkinson’s UK as well as supporting other Parkinson’s related organisations.

The mission of Parkinsons.art is to:

Promote the benefits of art to those affected by Parkinson’s Disease

Provide a platform to collaborate and share artwork

Showcase Parkinson’s art and raise awareness through exhibitions and events

The original brainchild of Trevor Woollard, Parkinson’s Art is run by a small team of dedicated volunteers with expertise in various art disciplines ranging from painting through photography and sculpture to prose and poetry.

Their first major exhibition, ‘VIVID Dreams 2020,’ will be held at the Oxo Tower in London, UK, from 18-29 August 2021. Vivid dreaming is a symptom of Parkinson’s. The exhibition (and the accompanying catalogue) reflects this experience in a selection of artwork and poetry. There’s a virtual aspect to the exhibition, too: an app with augmented reality that allows people to view the exhibited works of art on their own walls.

Parkinson’s Art also runs the Parkinson’s Art Academy, which offers a variety of free courses on literature and the fine arts. It taps into the wealth of experience existing in the community of Parkinson’s, which includes many amazing artists.

I am pleased to say that I am joining this wonderfully creative group: I will be offering, in the autumn, an introductory course on haiku. More about this soon …

P.S. You can now pre-order the official ‘VIVID Dreams – London’ catalogue. This A5 book contains all the paintings from the VIVID Dreams 2020 exhibition, plus a selection of poetry and stories of inspiration from the Parkinson’s community.
Check it out here: https://instagr.am/p/CRLczldsANU/