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Art therapy helps remove limitations on people’s creativity
Some people say it is a miracle, some that it is down to hard work and creativity with a good seasoning of ingenuity - but however it is achieved the standard of painting, drawing and modelling achieved by members of Conquest Art is truly remarkable.
The members have just one thing in common. They suffer from some form of disability, some even have serious visual handicaps, but all are determined to keep on expressing themselves in whatever form they can.
Their astounding achievements are down to one woman, Ursula Hulme, who remains as vigorous and energetic as ever as she prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday.
Mrs Hulme studied art in Berlin and came to England as a refugee in 1938 after working as a freelance artist. In England her career took a different turn and she trained as a nursing auxiliary while continuing her artistic work.
But then she decided to combine her talents and become an art therapist working part time in the canteen at Middlesex Hospital after meeting a woman with severe arthritis who longed to be able to paint and draw.
"She said to me, If only there was something dangling from the ceiling that I could touch with one finger - how happy I would be' and that is how it started," said Mrs Hulme. "I went on to teach her textile design."
In 1960 she was introduced to the head of occupational therapy for Surrey and devised a programme for stroke victims which led to her finding premises in New Malden and starting a series of regular art classes - at first with just two members, which quickly grew to 12.
By 1962 she was teaching a class at Redhill Hospital, had started classes in Ewell and Walton and was also teaching disabled people in their own homes.
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| Carl Barton, who has cerebral palsy, uses a head pointer and it takes a lot of effort for him to control his movement |
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Her unique techniques led to an enthusiastic following of people who had thought that they were no longer able to lead a creative and fulfilling life and were delighted to find that they were wrong.
And so the movement grew with new classes starting in Leatherhead and other parts of Surrey.
An exhibition in Bourne Hall, Ewell, in 1977 led to new class at St Paul's Church, Howell Hill, Cheam, which is still taught by Ursula herself each week, and the formation of a committee to give the organisation a more formal structure.
But it took 20 years from Ursula's first class for the art group to give itself the title Conquest which finally became Conquest Art.
"It is open to anyone and everyone with all sorts of disabilities," said Mrs Hulme. "Over the years we have had thousands of people and I have only found two or three people who we haven't been able to help.
"I have a special method. I don't use traditional methods. I draw and paint in a variety of styles and once when I was recovering from a serious illness I read that you can draw with your eyes closed, so I did and found that I could draw all sorts of things just from memory.
"Now everyone who is a beginner is asked to draw a flowing line on a piece of paper with their eyes shut. When they open their eyes they see what they have put on paper and we go on from there. For blind people, of course it is very different."
She has developed a technique of putting lines of Blu Tack over the pencil lines so people with visual handicaps can literally feel what they have drawn.
She explained: "Someone told me, It is no good you telling me what I have created, I can't see it,' so we experimented with Blu Tack so they can feel what they have drawn."
Some of her pupils now use perfumed paint so they can smell what colours they are using.
Mrs Hulme uses her imagination and ingenuity to find ways to enable people with many different kinds of disability to take part in an art class.
Experiments with a tennis cap eventually led to the development of a pointer worn on the head so people without any movement in their arms can still paint and draw, although it is an exhausting and demanding process.
As well as releasing people from their everyday routines, the art classes sometimes achieve an improvement in manual dexterity and even speech, while members find that new friendships formed at the classes help them become more confident and outgoing.
In 1991 her hard work was acknowledged and she was awarded an MBE for decades of unique and special work for disabled people.
Conquest Art now has a head office based at the Cox Lane Day Centre in Ewell where a variety of classes are held each week and classes are held at St Paul's in Cheam, in New Malden, Godalming, Bromley and as far afield as Cheshire.
There are more classes held at residential homes including Swail House for the visually handicapped in Epsom and the Red House nursing home in Ashtead.
"It is very rewarding - somehow I feel it is God's gift to me that I can use my art to help people. It is quite miraculous to see how people, and some of them can hardly move their arms, can create works of art.
"Sometimes it is difficult to see how they can manage, but we find a way round the difficulties. Nothing is impossible.
"People say how much pleasure they get from the classes. They say how rewarding it is - that they can hear the laughter before they even enter the room. It is very satisfying."
Members of Conquest pay a nominal membership fee which helps to pay for the cost of mounting exhibitions of their work.
The next big exhibition which is being held to celebrate Mrs Hulme's 90th birthday and the work of Conquest Art is being held at Bourne Hall in Ewell from March 6 to March 17.
Volunteer class leaders are helped out by trained volunteers and more are always needed to keep the Conquest work going. For more information phone 0208 397 6157 or visit conquestart.org.
9:43am Friday 16th February 2007
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CommentPosted by: Joan Low, France on 8:37am Fri 1 Feb 08
Fantastic...exciting
..I am an artist living in France and I am particularly interested in working alongside people with disabilities.I would like any more helpful information about how to approach management with project ideas.Thanks
Fantastic...exciting
..I am an artist living in France and I am particularly interested in working alongside people with disabilities.I would like any more helpful information about how to approach management with project ideas.Thanks
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