In-person In Conversation event

10am-12noon, Thursday 28 March 2024 in the Room To Breathe space at Manchester Art Gallery

Join us for an introduction to the Room to Breathe space at Manchester Art Gallery. The team involved in its development will discuss each of their roles and talk about their research study and its results. They will also explore the reasons why the Gallery developed a space dedicated to mindfulness and what the future holds for this type of work. Attendees will be able to ask questions and enjoy the exhibition after the panel talk.

The speakers for this special event are:

Louise Thompson, Health and Wellbeing Manager at Manchester Art Gallery and Co-Curator of the Room To Breathe space. With 15 years’ experience of arts for health practice, she manages a diverse programme of projects, workshops and resources which all use art and creativity to support people’s mental health. She is interested in the relationship between museums, mindfulness and population wellbeing. Louise has championed creative health practice in the cultural sector in the UK since 2013 and has delivered talks and training to other cultural organisations on the subject. She believes passionately in using the collections at Manchester Art Gallery to improve people’s mental health and reduce health inequalities in the city. She is also an independent museums and wellbeing consultant. 

Fiona Corridan is Curator: Art & Design at Manchester Art Gallery and works as part of a team to care for and develop a nationally important collection, and to deliver the gallery’s mission to be an inclusive art gallery for the people of Manchester and the wider world.  She has been curating modern and contemporary exhibitions for 17 years. Selected exhibition projects include Derek Jarman Protest! (2022); Grayson’s Art Club (2021); Louise Giovanelli (2019); True Faith (for Manchester International Festival, 2017); Nordic Craft & Design (2018); Modern Japanese Design (2017); Matthew Darbyshire: An Exhibition for Modern Living (2015); Raqib Shaw (2013).

Aleksandra (Sasha) Igdalova is an interdisciplinary psychology researcher investigating the relationship between the arts and health at Goldsmiths, University of London. As part of her PhD under Dr. Rebecca Chamberlain, Sasha has an ongoing collaboration with Manchester Art Gallery, with which she conducts studies on art engagement. These large-scale, experimental studies, which explore different engagement factors such as mindful breathing and social interaction, have examined the impact of the arts on various well-being measures including mood, affect, and social connectedness. Sasha is a staunch advocate for close collaboration and expertise exchange between aesthetic researchers and art professionals, and organizes workshops for other scientists on this topic.

The event is free to NWFed members.

Tickets available here.