The Harris Art and Wellbeing Project

One of these groups were from Ingol Community Primary School. A group of 9 children from both year 5 and year 6 volunteered to take part in this project, encouraged by teachers Mrs Smalley and Miss Crossett.

The pupils met with The Harris’ Communities Assistant, Amelia four times between February and April 2024 to look at the art we have in The Harris, to chat about why our well-being is important and think about how the art we look at can help!

With the theme of wellbeing in mind, the group were able to pick out their favourite paintings from The Harris’ Fine Art collection. Then the following week, Amelia set up the group’s own private art gallery space with life-size reproductions of the chosen paintings.

Studies have found that the average amount of time a person spends looking at a piece of art in a gallery is only 17 seconds and yet studies have also found that when we start to spend longer with art, it increases our sense of wellbeing! So, we spent lots of time “slow looking” and discovering new things in the paintings we might not have noticed at first glance.

The group also had a go at Stream of Consciousness writing (writing the first things that pop into your head without stopping) and making quick creative collages in only 10 minutes, focusing on the shapes and colours in their chosen paintings.

We chatted a lot about playing with friends, spending time with parents and siblings, family days out, swimming, fishing, reading, beach trips and art of course! With these themes in mind, The Harris also set up a temporary display in Ingol CPS, showing objects from the collection that linked to the group’s interests.

The objects included a magnetic fishing game, a toy clockwork speed boat, and some ceramic pieces with decorative seaside scenes.

Each time we met, the group managed to narrow down more and more which painting made them feel best and which one they would want to spend time with the most in The Harris’ new wellbeing gallery.

After much deliberation deciding between two seascapes, the group settled on the painting ‘Cambria’s Coast’ by Benjamin Williams Leader as their final choice. They said they chose this one because: “it makes me feel calm” “it reminds me of the beach” “it reminds me of a peaceful thing” “it has really bright colours”.

Everyone created a piece of art inspired by the seascape paintings which we have featured here in an online gallery! We hope that when The Harris Wellbeing Gallery opens, visitors who view ‘Cambria’s Coast’ will also get to see the groups pieces of art too.

A special thank you to the pupils and artists who took part in The Harris’ Art and Wellbeing Project! Hadriel, Emily, Jack, Lewis, Ayo, Lydia, Alesha, William, Isobel.

Other groups who have chosen the paintings that will make up The Harris’ wellbeing gallery have been from Preston Prison Library, Freckleton Library, Community Roots @Deepdale, the Blue Flamingo Café in Ashton and Preston College.