The Henry Hedgepodge Academy of Art, based on the first floor of the Green Shed in Merlins Bridge, Haverfordwest, is a welcoming safe space for adults and children to engage in self-expression through the medium of visual art, creative writing, play and drama.
The onset of the coronavirus and ‘lockdown’ halted person-centred sessions led by owner and expressive arts practitioner Deborah Withey, so she decided to create a space online to celebrate the work her students produced between March and May 2020, during the difficult transition from face to face sessions to working online.
“People need a way to express themselves and get out of their head. What I love most about my role is that I work with people to help find out what their creative niche is.”
Deborah was keen to get those involved away from their computers and doing physical works of art. The online exhibition involves young people aged 7 to 17.
Deborah works in collaboration with County Social Services, Pembrokeshire County Council, Action for Children, and in care homes and schools leading a variety of one-to-one and group workshops in the studio which are sensitively designed to bring out an individual’s creative voice. She has also been expanding the facilities on offer online, while face to face sessions are limited due to social distancing measures.
In September, Deborah will be offering free Colour Your World online workshops via zoom. Her workshops explore the meaning behind individual colours and how those meanings impact how we think about and use colour in our daily lives.
Deborah is also a journalist and designer and one of 40 women in the world chosen to contribute her individual experiences of lockdown to a new online magazine, Wander Mag.
