Near the End: The Beginning of a Journey

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VOLUME  ISSUE Nº
THE PHENOMENON OF FINE ART AND THE HUMAN ELEMENT
QUARTERLY
PINKIE MAE PUBLICATIONS, UK
FEBRUARY 
Editor, Author, Publisher
Dr Valerie Mae Oliver

ISSUE Nº1
Pinkie Mae Publications, UK
Copyright © 2020 by Valerie Mae Oliver

Welcome
Editor’s Note:
Welcome to the first volume of The Phenomenon of Fine Art and the Human Element Quarterly by
Pinkie Mae Publications, UK. This quarterly derived out of work being conducted post-PhD. I have had
the opportunity to gain higher education in both the US and UK in Fine Art practice. I received a Master’s
in Fine Art by Project at Wincherster School of Art (Southampton University). Shortly aer, I began my
research journey at Bucks New Univiersity and recieved my PhD from Brunnel University. My art
practice began in the US and I have been able to sustain an art career living in the UK. I work
conceptually, producing installations using video amongst mixed media materials, which are
significant to an idea. My career consists of combining my art practice with working in various
educational and community institutions including managing and leading socially inclusion community
partnership funded projects with diverse groups.
I aim to bridge the gap between art practice research and educational institutions by working within the
community. Therefore, I intend to stay within the community and validate theory along with practice.
I remain self-employed working along with organisations that support individuals while in education
and life-long learning situations.
Two peer-review articles have been published since achieving my doctorate in 2016. With the work I am
accumulating from my work experience, in the community, it is important to share this information.
This will allow discussions to emerge with others and bring on change. I am now at a stage, where I can
create a quarterly and I have named my publication aer my Grandmother, Pinkie Mae Vaught
Calloway, who was Head of Nursing at the Philadelphia Hospital for Contagious Diseases, Bureau of
Health.
At the moment, I am oering this quarterly without charge. Additionally, please respect that all work
presented in this quarterly written and visual (unless otherwise indicated) is the copyright of
Dr Valerie Oliver. All rights reserved and must not be reproduced or quoted in any form without the
express permission of the publisher and editor. Please make contact with any inquires at
valerie.oliver@btinternet.com.
Dr Valérie Oliver
Artist/Researcher/Contemporary Art Practice Specialist

ISSUE Nº1
Near the End: Near the End:
The Beginning of a The Beginning of a
JourneyJourney
Written by Dr Verie Oiver

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NEAR THE END:
Introduction
This written reection is an introduction to how my journey began post research working out in the
community. In April of 2015, an opportunity arose while nalising my thesis. My supervisor, Dr Nadia Wager,
was leading an evaluation for Safe! and they were looking for someone to ll the role of visual
creative facilitator for their pilot programme.1 Nadia recommended me for the job.
I was exceedingly excited to be part of the pilot and could not wait to put into practice what I have
discovered during my research journey. I felt it was my chance to validate the importance of contemporary
art practice within an institutional context. The progress towards understanding the value of theoretical and
practical methods that would lend itself change was my goal. This will also impact on bridging a long-standing
gap of the neglect on all art levels, the lack of recognition, and inability to substantiate art’s success on an
empirical level. I began with the pilot programme in 2015, and I was able to provide support until the year 2018.
The Organisations Involved
Safe! is an organisation located in Oxford, UK that provides support to young people and families who have
been affected by crime or abuse. They received funding for their Building Respectful Families Programme,
which provides support to families experiencing child on parent violence. This programme used the
Break4Change Programme Toolkit. Break4Change was established in 2009 in Brighton, UK. It is a
programme designed to help parents/carers and children who are involved in Child-to-Parent Abuse (CPA).
As described in the Break4Change toolkit, the role of the creative facilitator, was to:
‘provide activities where the learning from the weekly therapeutic workshops can be embedded and explored
further, but also enable a sense of achievement and positivity in the young people, to bring them together
as a group and help develop their self-condence and self-expression.’ 2
Before I discuss Break4Change objectives and principles, I need to inject a challenge of thought to reect
upon, relating to the above described role of the creative facilitator. Also, please understand that what I
am about to explain is my perception that comes from experience. I am not asking you to agree with my
perceptions or trust in what I am saying as absolute truth. My perceptions come from direct enagagement,
actions, and experiences relating to my theoretical research based in knowledge and practice. The above
described role is a tall order to ll, in such a short timeframe, when working with individual complex issues
of young people. In my past and present experience individual complex issues are not fully considered or
understood. Although, creative activities can provide and allow for a different way to connect to others; to
communicate shared feelings and thoughts when engaging with a creative activity.
1 Dr Nadia Wager was my supervisor and Principal Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at Bucks New University. Dr Wager is now
Reader in Forensic Psychology at University of Hudderseld. She is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a
Chartered Psychologist (Teaching and Research), having been awarded a PhD from Brunel University in 2002.
2 Break4Change, (2015) Break4Change Programme Toolkit: for professionals working with families where young people are vio-
lent/abusive towards their parents/carers funded by Daphne Programme of the European Union. Brighton: Break4Change.p.45

06
ISSUE Nº1
However, do they sustain a substantial skill set? In my experience, there is not the opportunity because the
time allocated is not enough, especially when you factor in the amount of preparation beforehand needed
to have a result of completed creative work. In the case for the Break4Change programme, this is a mixed
creative based project that has been planned out by creative facilitators together with the organisation’s
concept. Unfortunately, young people miss vital experiences if not given the opportunity to process their
thoughts and ideas. Because in reality, they are only given a piece of work that has already been executed
by the facilitator regarding idea, theme and prepared work. All they do is execute accordingly to directions
given. There is an opportunity missed to develop a connection towards self-efcacy that leads to nding
their truth. It is for this reason, I wanted to implement a different way of working with the young people. This
provides opportunity to create a space and for change to emerge.
Moving ahead, it is important to inform what the objectives and principles of the creative element is in the
Break4Change toolkit. These are listed below:
Objectives and Principles:
1) to provide activities where the learning from the weekly therapeutic workshops can be
embedded and explored further;
2) bring young people together as a group and help develop their self-condence and
self-expression;
3) take risks in the group and encourage one another and begin to challenge each other’s
values and behaviours.
What I proposed to do in my planing did incorporate the above objectives and principles. In the next
section, I will briey discuss the aims behind the creative visual sessions followed by what I had learned
from the pilot in the conclusion.
Creative Sessions for Safe!’s Building Respectful Families: Discussing Aims
I had spoken to one of the creative organisers at Break4Change beforehand to discuss my proposed plans
for Safe!’s Building Respectful Families programme. The conversation proved positive, and it was made clear
that the creative sessions did not need to follow their prescribed session plan, but respond to the objectives
and principles.
I would like to discus briey how Break4Change conducted their creative sessions. These sessions were
split between lyric writing to create a collaborative music production and visual art sessions. Originally the
visual art sessions were for only three sessions at the end of the twelve week programme. These sessions
were to introduce Illustration and street art to produce work on canvas to take home. The overview being:
1) introduction to Illustration and street art; 2) exploring mark-making; 3) creating an environment to
stimulate ‘non-facilitated chat’. During the pilot programme for Safe!, the music team and I were able to
organise working alternative weeks for the twelve-week schedule.

07
NEAR THE END:
The concept behind the visual art sessions was to embrace the young people individually and allow them to be
free to create visual artwork to nd their sense of truth and reality within their surrounding space. The use of a
sketchbook would give them a private space and the opportunity to learn how to use the sketchbook as a tool to:
• write observations;
• ideas;
• plan for future artwork;
• themes of interest;
• personal reections;
• draw;
• experiment using mixed media.
Furthermore, the given sketchbook, enabled the young people to use along with their music sessions. Used
as a tool, the sketchbook supported the young people to apply and develope skills in both creative areas. At
the start of the visual session, the young people were given their sketchbooks which had canvas covers. This
gave them an opportunity to personalise their sketchbooks. Thereafter in each session, the young people were
shown a new technique to aid in their visual artwork. They had a safe space and time to create various types
of collage using different materials, tools and resources for inspiration.
I wanted to nd out their interests and I did a good deal of talking with them individually and as a group. Although
conversation is good in getting to know individuals’ interests, it is vital to listen to each individual. While talking
with one another, the young people would also have material and tools at hand (this occurred in all appointed
sessions). In between the rst and second session, I went to the public library. I borrowed books and brought
them in for the young people to use as a source of inspiration for their ideas to emerge.
In my experience as a facilitator and artist, I trust that this approach provides freedom for self-discovery
without the limitations formed by me and/or organisation. In a safe environment, the young people are being
given time to express themselves creatively without a short, quick timeframe to produce a specic outcome.
There are some people who do not understand that each mark, idea or written word that is placed on paper or
expressed three dimensionally is in fact an outcome. It is a ‘process’ that leads to another. The ‘act of
creating’ is a natural structure. Therefore, it is important to allow freedom to exist, which leads to problem-
solving and also develop responsibility when given time to reect on the action of creating. The action of
creating also encompasses:
• the importance of ‘the act of processing’ and ‘interpretation’;
• there is no right or wrong within the creative process;
• developing intellectual thought;
• nding truth.

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ISSUE Nº1
Conclusion
Because the young people and families that come through this programme nd themselves marginalised
by their circumstances it is vital that their ‘issues, moods, likes, dislikes and feelings’ (and/or their
placement concerning exclusion) are not mirrored in their visual art sessions. Their ‘issues, moods, likes,
dislikes, and feelings may or may not be revealed through their actively taking part in the creative process
but boundaries mustn’t be blurred by inuences mirroring their displacement. The visual art sessions aim
to enhance the young person’s value of their ‘self’ instead of their ‘issues’. Therefore, I was concerned
that being in the actual group meeting (held in theraputic workshops) before the creative sessions might
inuence my perception of young people. This coincides with my ndings that focuses on an
understanding of freedom and responsibility, the cultivation of the self and supporting individuals in
overcoming a ‘marginalised and excluded identity’.
I learned that I needed to stay focused on making sure that all young people felt they were given something
in return whether it be a new skill, develop known skills further, self-worth, value, self-discovery and efcacy.
By working alongside other facilitators and addressing concerns in debriefs supported my learning it helped
shape my role and the responsibilities that came along with the role, which changed from programme to
programme.
I had developed reection reports on each individual during the pilot programme and this proved
benecial for my personal journey and supports the programme’s objectives. The reports also gave the
leadership and management team an insight into my methodologies used as a tool. Managers and
facilitators were able to discuss how the creative process was impacting on the young people. Eventually,
I observed a gradual shift in their behaviour and attitude.
In the next quarterly, I will discuss in depth about the written reection reports.

WINTER 