Museum/Art Artist Takeover by Helen Savin. Helen’s a Swindon-based abstract artist. Earlier this year she received an invitation to show her work at the launch of the new Museum & Art Swindon. It marked a real high point for her after going through a rocky time when she hit the menopause in 2019.
Making art has always benefitted Helen’s overall health and wellbeing. And she’s found it especially good for her mental health. In the last few years it has become a lifeline though. Art has helped Helen cope with the many challenges she’s faced going through menopause.
In the first instance Helen’s symptoms were emotional and psychological. She experienced an acute phase of extreme anxiety that stopped her functioning as she should for quite a few months.
A difficult and distressing time
It was a most distressing time but with a lot of support, Helen did start to get back on a more even keel and wanted to paint again. She produced a large body of work reflecting her experience going through menopause. Painting was a massive help to Helen and got her through the process and integrate this challenging time.
Some of the work she produced represented her experiences on a mental and emotional level going through the initial acute phase of anxiety. Something that’s hard for her to verbalise. The rest of Helen’s work reflected the renewed joy and vitality she felt when she started to feel well again and back to her normal self after such a dark time.
Some of these paintings are currently hanging in the new Museum & Art Swindon located in the Civic Offices on Euclid Street.
Helen will be there on Saturday 7th December from 11.30am-3pm with a selection of her other work as well, from small to larger pieces. And she’d love to meet visitors to chat more about my art and how it has helped me. All welcome.
Tim Carroll
I should mention at this stage that Swindon artist Tim Carroll is also doing an artist takeover thingy at Museum and Art Swindon this coming Saturday, the 30th November.
More about Tim here: https://swindonian.me/category/artscultureheritage/tim-carroll/
And there’s a Facebook event for Tim’s takeover here.
What I should also mention is that signage to Museum and Art Swindon is utterly inadequate. They might as well have done a Brigadoon and shrouded it in a magical mist. So there isn’t, as you might expect, a large poster on the entrance tunnel of the railway station. Nor are there adequate signs in general.
So:
The wonderful art deco civic offices, in which MAAS is located, are on Euclid in the centre of the town. If you’re using Google maps or Sat-Nav the postcode is SN1 2JH.
There are steps and a ramp at the entrance to the building. MAS is located on the first floor and is accessed either by stairs or a lift.
MAAS is about 15 to 20 minutes-walk (depending how slow/fast you are) from Swindon railway station or bus station. If you’re approaching from Regent Circus, with the central library to your right and just behind you, there are two Pelican crossings to navigate to Euclid Street. A few steps down Euclid Street and you’ll see the Civic Offices on your left.
There’s a limited number of parking spaces for blue badge holders.
