• Tools and Techniques
• Making a Quill
• Making Marks to Music
• Observing an Object
• Doodling
• Visiting an Art Gallery
  • Visiting an art gallery
  • One word
  • 'Impressions'
  • Suggestions - What next?
• Drawing video

Visiting an art gallery

 

Almost all places have a gallery. When was the last time you went to one? Going to an art gallery can be a great thing to do to lift your spirits. Galleries are often free, so anyone can go in.

Print off our creative wellbeing exercises to take with you on a gallery visit.

Staff who work in galleries will be glad to help you out with directions, answer your questions, and give you ideas about where to start and what to look at if you’re new to the gallery. Don’t be afraid to ask – it’s what they’re there for.

 

What might these exercises offer?

Visiting galleries can:

• Help give us fresh perspectives on life by offering us new ways to see the world around us

• Provide new ideas and inspiration for our own creative work

• Be somewhere relaxing and interesting to go, to take time out from our usual routine – having a bit of quality ‘me’ time is important in life. Many galleries have lovely cafés where you can treat yourself to a simple cuppa or something more substantial

 

The ‘One Word’ and ‘Impressions’ exercises:

• Build confidence in talking about artwork, and are a good starting point for discussing artworks that attract our eye

• Help us to explore our opinions more generally, so finding out a little more about ourselves

• Encourage us to look at artwork in different ways

 

How long will the exercises take?

As a rough guide, each of the two exercises takes between 10 and 30 minutes depending how many people there are taking part. You can repeat the exercise a few times, whilst on a visit to a gallery, or come back on another visit to try out the exercises again.
Most galleries have a café, where you can go and think about your exercise and what you’ve seen, or if with friends you could go and sit in the café to discuss your various impressions. You’ll be surprised at how differently we all perceive things.

 

You will need

• A local art gallery

• Gallery plan (map) –ask for one at the gallery, but if not available you can just browse the gallery without a map

• A pen/pencil

• Notebook