Wednesday 19th August sees the opening of Sandra Robinson’s first solo exhibition, entitled ‘Art Saved my Bacon’, at the Together gallery in Old Street.
'Art Saved my Bacon' sees Jewish artist Sandra Robinson who studied at Barnet College, map her journey through her cultural heritage, childhood and periods of mental ill-health, including a 13 year creative block, to happiness and recovery through painting, sculpture and poetry. After being accepted to Art College a year early and showing much promise, she dropped out due to periods of depression, only recently being diagnosed as bi-polar.
Sandra then joined the Community Link course at Barnet College which completely transformed her life. Sandra said: I was attending the day unit at Barnet General Hospital, and was referred to the Community Link course at Barnet College by the hospital. I can’t emphasis enough how much the course has helped me. I was going through a very difficult patch in my life, through a lot of counselling and through the support of the Community Link courses, I managed to get my life back on track and start my artwork again.
Barnet College Community Link courses offer supportive and progression based learning for people recovering from mental health problems, those who have lost confidence or those who are suffering from stress. Courses help learners develop skills, increase confidence and raise self-esteem to prepare for the future. Learners are supported in identifying appropriate progression routes and can move on to a training scheme or mainstream course, or seek some form of employment. Learners can choose from an array of modules such as art and ceramics, personal development, computing and much more.
The work on display in ‘Art Saved My Bacon’ is often humorous and powerfully hopeful even as it describes, and emerges from, the painful and difficult periods in Sandra’s life, to eventual wellbeing.
Sandra’s also exhibited at Barnet College’s Gallery 89, a gallery space at the North London Business Park site funded by the Learning and Skills Council, which exhibits an array of student artwork from students on the Community Link, Broadening Horizons and Discover Your Potential courses. My first exhibition was at Gallery 89 at Barnet College, which went fantastically well, and I managed to sell most of the pieces. I am now fully recovered and have also started volunteering as a support worker at Barnet College working with students with learning difficulties, which I find very rewarding.
Sandra’s ‘Art saved my bacon’ exhibition runs from 19th August – 2nd October at Together, Our Space Gallery, 12 Old Street, London, EC1V 9BE
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Notes to Editors
- Barnet College is a large college of Further Education with five main centres and over 50 outreach centres. With over 2000 courses from pre vocational, 14 plus to higher education and degree courses the College has over 20,000 enrolments a year – from 14 years of age to 80 years and employs over 1200 staff
- The College is one of the top ten Further Education Colleges in the UK and member of the 157 Group. The Principal is Marilyn Hawkins.
- The College has a major accommodation strategy that encompasses Wood Street and Grahame Park.
- The College has its own commercial training organisation – Training for London that provides training to over 300 employers across London and the UK.
- The Together: Working for Wellbeing Our Space gallery was established at Old Street, London in 2006.
- It supports and celebrates all artists in the mental health arena, as well as any external artists or performers who would like to help reduce stigma and prejudice in mental health. For more information on Sandra Robinson’s exhibition contact Claire Monger at Together’s Our Space Gallery, on 0207 780 7366.
- Members of the press wanting to know more about Barnet College please contact:
Filomena Komodromou on 020 8275 2880 or email: filomena.komodromou@barnet.ac.uk
- For all other enquiries, contact the College on 020 8266 4000 email:info@barnet.ac.uk
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