Art Power

The "Green Power" initiative at Mansfield Museum is part of the "Creative Women Together" project, which supports vulnerable women through artistic activities to build confidence and foster friendships. Established in 2022, the museum's "Art Power" group aids survivors of trauma, including domestic and sexual abuse, by offering creative workshops led by freelance artists and an art therapist. The first year of this project was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), and it is now moving into another two years of funding provided by the Esmé Fairbairn Foundation. As part of "Green Power," participants drew inspiration from medieval carvings at Southwell Minster to create ceramic faces that challenge traditional patriarchal representations. These artworks were showcased during Mansfield's Light Night 2025 in the historic 1859 greenhouse at Carr Bank Park as part of the "Green Power Women" exhibition, celebrating creativity and resilience. The event also featured creative writing workshops, with participants’ writings projected as looping text on a windbreak installation. In addition, the Green Power group currently has an exhibition at Newstead Abbey called Birds, Beasts, and Byron, further showcasing their artistic work. The groups are also currently working toward their 2026 exhibition entitled Red Flags. Through these initiatives, Mansfield Museum provides a therapeutic and empowering space for women, using art as a means of expression and healing.

In the first two years of the Art Power project at Mansfield Museum in the East Midlands, UK, forty-four women with lived experience of trauma have taken part. Funded by the Esmé Fairburn Foundation, the project has aimed to foster creativity, curiosity, and a sense of place through artistic activities. Five groups were formed, meeting every two to three weeks, using the museum’s social history collection—including ceramics, paintings, jewellery, and taxidermy—as inspiration. A variety of freelance artists contributed their skills in printing, felt making, collage, and stitch, alongside an art therapist. By the end of 2023, the project had delivered 150 workshops, providing a supportive and creative space for participants to explore and heal.