Calling all art lovers, art connoisseurs, and art novices!

Enjoy an exclusive preview of the artworks at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea and help support CoolTan Arts.

CoolTan Arts are delighted to be chosen as the charity beneficiary for the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea from 11-15 March 2015. Location: Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ.

The fair kicks off with a Charity Preview Night on Wednesday 11 March, 5.30 – 9.30 pm, where you can indulge in a drink or two, thanks to the lovely folks at Laithwaite’s Wine, and enjoy a gander of the galleries free from the weekend rush. The evening will be officially opened by artist and patron of CoolTan Arts, Maggi Hambling.

There will be over 100 galleries exhibiting under one roof at The Affordable Art Fair, the UK’s leading showcase for contemporary art from £100 – £5,000. For experienced collectors and first-time buyers alike, there’s no easier or more enjoyable way to fall in love with that perfect piece of art.

Be sure to also visit CoolTan’s stand during the fair to take home some original pieces from the CoolTan artists!

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Wednesday 4th March 2015

1-8pm at CoolTan Arts, Third Floor, 224-236 Walworth Road, SE17 1JE.

Come along to a fun, free Women’s Day at CoolTan Arts, celebrate the achievements of women and explore what it means to be a 21st Century Woman!

There will be four free workshops, discussions, and wellbeing-promoting activities as well as an exclusive art exhibition and short film screening.

Free Workshops from 1pm – 6pm. Workshops are free, informal and run on a drop in basis. No need to pre-book. Open to all genders, all welcome!

1.15pm Women and Mental Health – A workshop exploring the effect gender has on mental health, run by our Self Advocacy trainer Tara Logan Shand.

2.30pm Stitch & Switch – Craft and technology session – A craft workshop where you can try a variety of techniques, from t-shirt printing and knitting to creating DIY Smart fashion! Learn to sew circuits into fabric to create smart accessories and walk away with your hand-made wristband or headband with LED lights! Personalise your own T-shirt, mix and match to create amazing mixed media art work on your T-shirt. We have a number of free T-shirts available to create your masterpiece!

4.00pm Exercise and Wellbeing Session – A fun exercise class run by one of our energetic volunteers!

4:45pm Discussion and Film – What does it mean to be a 21^st Century Woman? – Check out CoolTan’s latest film which will explore 21st Century Feminism from a local perspective. Debate and share ideas afterwards in our discussion with guests from the Feminist Library.

6 – 8pm Art Exhibition Opening

Stay on for the opening of our brand new art exhibition for International Women’s Day ’21^st Century Women’. The evening will include an open mic for performances and poetry.

The exhibition will run from March 4th to April 30th 2015 open Monday to Friday 10-5pm.

For more information please contact Emma Thatcher
Telephone: 020 7701 2696 E-mail: emmathatcher@cooltanarts.org.uk

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On Saturday, 21st February  CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle celebrated LGBT History Month with a fun guided walk from Camberwell to Vauxhall.

The walk focused on Southwark’s rich Queer history interlaced with tales of momentous local Drag pubs and Camberwell’s lost music halls. Here are some photos of the day:

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Tuesday 24th February saw the launch of a new exhibition in our gallery space, ‘Elephant & Castle’s Finest’ – a photographic exploration of the local area and it’s hidden stories and treasures.

Work was created in street photography and local history workshops which ran at CoolTan Arts throughout January, funded by the Mace team at Newington Butts.

Visitors to the exhibition made the following comments: ‘Inspired’, ‘Beautiful artwork’,’The exhibition really captures the spirit of Elephant and Castle and provides an insight into the lives of people who live here’, ‘I was impressed by the quality of the work and pleased that Mace is supporting CoolTan.’

The exhibition will be open from 24th February – 2nd March 2015 at CoolTan Arts, Third Floor, 224-236 Walworth Road, SE17 1JE.

The photographs can also be seen on the Mace hoarding on Newington Butts for the next few months.

Here are some photos from the launch event:

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Coming soon …

The next issue of CoolFruit: The CoolTan Arts Review is out on 27th March 2015.

As the first green shoots push up from the earth we take Hope as our theme for this Spring issue. Read how Rachel Kelly discovered poetry as a route to wellbeing and how Caroline Sparrey overcame selective mutism.

Learn about CoolTan’s innovative Wellness project which can help you spring-clean your life, and about those fighting back against London’s housing crisis.

Investigate what it means to be a 21st Century Woman, learn to draw a spring-time bunny and enjoy Sunil Chauhan’s selection of Songs for Hope. Plus – Artist’s profiles, poetry, recipes and more!!

Join our mailing list to receive a copy to your email as soon as it’s available: contact emmathatcher@cooltanarts.org.uk.

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CoolTan Arts & Southwark Council are proud to announce the launch of the CoolWalk’s Guidebook. 

The guide book brings together the research and creativity of the CoolWalks volunteers and is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to take up physical exercise and learn about the varied and interesting history of Southwark.

Monday 2nd March, 3-4pm at John Harvard Library, 211 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JA.
To attend RSVP to deirdre.love@southwark.gov.uk or call 020 7525 2475.

CoolWalks is a collabration between CoolTan Arts, Southwark Libraries and Southwark NHS which recognises the link between physical activity and improved mental health.

There are twelve themed unique walks in the series, each starting one of the borough’s libraries.  Each Coolwalk was researched, devised and led by volunteers to enable walkers of all abilities to come together, to explore, to learn and to share their experiences covering 12 themes and all parts of the borough.  Each walk is fully accessible.

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One of London’s most popular cafes, The Breakfast Club, are showing their support for CoolTan Arts at the moment. Their Spitalfields branch are donating us £1 from each ‘Green is Good’ smoothie they sell and also the profits from their merchandise sales.
So pop on down to Spitalfields to sample a smoothie and some of the other tasty items on their menu!
Their address is: The Breakfast Club Spitalfields
12-16 Artillery Lane,
E1 7LS
Thanks so much Breakfast Club, we really appreciate it!
http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/locations/spitalfields/

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“Healing Words” workshop with Rachel Kelly
At CoolTan Arts, Third Floor, 224-236 Walworth Road, SE17 `JE.
Friday 13th and Friday 20th March and  Friday 17th and Friday 24th April between 12-1pm.

We are very pleased to welcome back Rachel Kelly – journalist, author, workshop leader and ambassador for SANE.

Many of you might have seen Rachel at our Peace Day event, when she came to talk about her experience of mental distress, her poetry workshops and her book, Black Rainbow, which tells the story of how she overcame depression through poetry. The event was a great success and we are pleased to announce Rachel has offered to come back and run workshops in March and April at CoolTan Arts.

To sign up for this free set of workshops looking at how healing words can help with wellbeing please contact olivia@cooltanarts.org.uk or call 020 7701 2696.

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Open Day – Drop in any time  to find out more about CoolTan Arts.
Wednesday 11th March, 1-3pm
CoolTan Arts, Third Floor,
224 – 226 Walworth Road, London SE17 1JE

Want to take a taster for self advocacy? Find out how to make your voice heard!

Want to find out why drawing is helpful for your mental health?

How about taking a taste of some of our healthy ‘cooking club cuisine’?

Find out why people come to CoolTan Arts!

For more information please email Tara tara@cooltanarts.org.uk

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CoolTan Arts have been really pleased to be part of the Guardian Christmas Charity Appeal, we’d like to say a big thanks to the Guardian for their support!

The appeal has been incredibly successful with the final amount totalling £397,000. Thank you also to everyone who donated and helped spread the word.

Each year they choose a theme to support over the festive period and in 2014 they choose mental health. We were one of nine mental health charities who were selected to benefit along with Mind, Starwards, MAC UK, Kidstime Foundation, Rethink, Samaritans, Centre for Mental Health and Gardening Leave.

Check out this wonderful article about us by Simon Hattenstone:  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/05/-sp-christmas-charity-appeal-cooltan

Our Cooking Club project and patron Rosemary Shrager were also featured in the appeal in early January with a great article by Hannah Jane Parkinson and Emma Howard: http://www.theguardian.com/society/christmas-charity-appeal-2014-blog/2015/jan/02/-sp-rosemary-shrager-cooking-mental-health

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CoolTan are running a new series of FREE 12 week  workshops from January 2015. Workshops are open to all people 18+ with experience of mental distress (self defined) who are currently unemployed.

Come along, gain new skills, meet new people and explore your creative side. Friendly and relaxed environment, with small groups and professional tutors.

**Book your place now**  Call 020 7701 2696 or email olivia@cooltanarts.org.uk

Workshop Dates

Art – Tuesdays 11-1pm – Starts 6th January (12 weeks) Empower yourself through creativity with our unique art workshop. Experiment with different themes and styles, and  explore various art techniques, such as acrylic, watercolours, charcoal etc. Meet like minded people in this small friendly group with a professional and supportive tutor. Suitable for all levels. Embrace the opportunity to exhibit in CoolTan and beyond!
Film – Tuesdays 11-1pm – Starts 6th January. (12 weeks) Learn how to do your own film-making and editing. Use some of the latest cameras and sound microphones to make your own creative piece of work for internet or DVD. Along the way you will gain a good working knowledge of the Final Cut Pro editing programme. No previous experience necessary except basic I.T skills.
Creative Writing – Wednesdays 11-1pm –  Starts 7th January. (12 weeks) Explore techniques, find inspiration and learn how structure your writing to make it exciting and engaging. Come along, learn, create and enjoy!
WordPress – Thursdays 1:30-3:30pm –  Starts 8th January. (12 weeks) Be guided step-by-step through the process of how to create a customised mini website, using WordPress, the popular free blogging platform. We’ll be covering the basics of WordPress installation, how to use the WordPress dashboard, how to create and modify menus, content pages and posts, handling digital media, such as images and videos, as well as exploring the many options available to customise the appearance and design. No previous experience necessary except basic I.T skills.
Photoshop – Thursdays 11-1pm – Starts 15th January. (12 weeks) Learn how to edit and retouch your photography to a professional standard. Use layers, filters, text and drawing tools to create artistic effects.  Gain the skills to cut out and combine images to create collages, posters and artworks. No previous experience necessary except basic I.T skills.
Location: CoolTan Arts, Third Floor, 224-236 Walworth Road, SE17 1JE.
With thanks to our funders:

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Following the success of the Van Gogh walk launched earlier this year, CoolTan Arts is continuing the collaboration with Artangel, artist R.M. Sánchez-Camus and Pan Studios with a new digital media project.

Every Wednesday 10:30am-1:00pm @ CoolTan Arts Computer Lab
Starting 4th February 2015
Workshops are every week until the July and open to everyone. Drop in whenever you can!

Learn about smartphone technology, apps, GPS, interactivity and how to extend artmaking into the public sphere. Workshops will give hands on art training in social projects, sound projects, walking and digital media.

The project will explore the balance of the real/conscious vs. the imaginary/subconscious offering participants a safe space in which to play with their creativity, as an act of creative living.

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about the crossroads of digital media and art making. If you would like to participate please contact olivia@cooltanarts.org.uk to register for the workshops.

If you haven’t heard the walk, you can stream or download it here:
http://www.artangel.org.uk/projects/2014/at_the_crossroads_with_vincent/about_the_project/at_the_crossroads

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CoolTan Council – What can it do for me?
CoolTan Council is a group of volunteers and participants who want to make a difference at CoolTan Arts, and in Southwark. 

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 March from 4-5pm at CoolTan Arts.

We are looking for people who would like to develop their public speaking, peer-support and employability skills.  (Training will be offered to participants and volunteers who wish to undertake an active role in the CoolTan Council.)
 
What can I do for CoolTan Arts?
This meeting will focus on the future of CoolTan Arts building and what has happened with previous plans.

Don’t stay silent! Use your voice for CoolTan Arts!

Speak to Kaya or Tara in Self Advocacy, call 0207 701 2696 for information or e-mail kaya@cooltanarts.org.uk or tara@cooltanarts.org.uk.

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CoolTan are excited to have new CoolWalks coming up in March 2015.
CoolWalks are guided walks for wellbeing, giving participants to opportunity to get to know more about their local area’s history and their local Southwark libraries.

Dates:

Saturday, 7th March, 2015
Thursday, 26th March, 2015

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around Kennington and beyond to learn about the area’s rebellious past and some of its famous revolutionaries.  Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Start at 12:30pm at Brandon Library, Brandon Estate, Maddock Way, Cooks Road, London
SE17 3NH. Finishes at Lambeth Palace.

The walk is approximately 4 ½ miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any-time.

Full details on http://coolwalksblog.blogspot.co.uk/, or email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or twitter @CoolWalks

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