Calderdale creative group’s ‘Positivi-Tree’ branches out to public art exhibition
A creative collective of service users in Calderdale have created a positive piece of artwork inspired by a story of patience, resilience and change, which has gone on to be displayed at a local exhibition.
Lyndhurst and Calderdale insight team creative group’s ‘Positivi-Tree’ was selected to be featured in an art exhibition at Project Colt, a charity based in Elland which provides support for people to live healthy addiction free lifestyles.
The creative group is facilitated by Creative Minds, the Trust’s linked charity which champions arts, sports and culture in recovery.
Their oil pastel piece was inspired by a short story called ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ by Jean Giono, which tells of a traveller who comes across a lonely shepherd planting acorns while hiking through a desolate valley in France. Ten years later, the shepherd’s caring actions have created a thriving new forest which completely transforms his community.
The ‘Positivi-Tree’ features motivational and inspiring quotes on its leaves, including “Never forget how amazing you are”, “You’re in charge of your destination”, and “Spread kindness.”
The two-week art exhibition formed part of CultureDale 2024, a year-long programme of creativity and activity led by Calderdale Council to celebrate Calderdale’s 50th anniversary.
Creative Minds project worker and creative practitioner Jessica Kelly explained: “We listened to the story together before brainstorming ideas on how we could create artwork to reflect the themes in the story. We came up with the idea of creating a Positivi-Tree, where the leaves could be used to spread positive messages of kindness, hope, and the importance of not giving up when things don’t succeed in the first instance.”
“We loved the story and the message it shared of how one person could have such a profound and positive change on their community. We were inspired to remember that everyone can still make a difference and spread kindness into this world. Even when things feel difficult, and life doesn’t always go as planned, it’s important to keep trying and to never give up on hope!”
