St Margaret’s House

Please can you introduce yourself

St Margaret’s House pioneers innovative ways to bring arts and wellbeing together. We celebrate all the places that community arts and wellbeing intersect, delivering our performances and programmes in non-traditional spaces in collaboration with artists, community groups and local people. Our vision is to create healthier and happier communities for all, promoting positive social change by offering arts and wellbeing opportunities for people to come together and play a more active part in their community. Our projects anchor us in the community, providing spaces for people to connect, eat, shop, learn, create and enjoy a diverse cultural programme.

 

Where does creativity show up for you and how do you use it?

Creativity is integral to the work we do at St Margaret's House - through every aspect of our organisation, we innovative the ways in which our community can feel creatively enriched.

Through our Arts offers, we meet creativity head on, providing space for people of any ability to experiment, explore and experince new art forms and practices. At The Create Place, our visual arts workshop space, we welcome local emerging artists who lead a variety of exciting workshops, including pottery, sewing, painting, woodworking and creative wiring. We use creativity as a launchpad for innovation, inspiration and investigation, encouraging our community to try something new and challenge their own perception of who an 'artist' can be.

Within our Wellbeing offers, we use creativity to bring about nuanced and vibrant paths to positive wellbeing for local community members. At The Canvas, our dedicated wellbeing venue, we provide a diverse and low-cost wellbeing offer consisting of acupuncture, massage, yoga and movement classes. Creativity provides uniqueness within our wellbeing offer, using holistic practices to help understand wellbeing as something physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Sustainability is a core value of St Margaret's House, and is entrenched throughout the organisation as a whole, from our Vegan Cafe to our Charity Shop. We use creativity to explore dynamic ways in which sustainability can be encouraged and celebrated, such as vegan food events in the Gallery Cafe, and a Charity Shop Hop in Ayoka. We understand the importance of viewing sustainability within the micro and macro, asking our community to consider the sustainability of small actions like buying second hand, as well as considering larger implications through sustainability-based exhibitions, discussions, workshops and events.

 

Has your creativity ever led you to any unexpected places or connections?

Creativity constantly leads to unexpected connection! A large part of our work revolves around expanding networks and partnership in Tower Hamlets (and beyond) which so often comes from sources of creativity, like workshops, exhibitions and events. Creativity acts as our connector, bringing other organisations, artists and community members together.

 

What drew you to take part in The January Challenge?

SMH staff took part in The January Challenge last year, relishing in the opportunity to immerse ourselves in creativity during the busy working day. Witnessing first hand the impact that The January Challenge can have on one's own wellbeing and creativity, we were very keen to connect with 64 Million Artists in any way we can, as our goals and ethos around creative wellbeing align so closely. Thus, when the opportunity to be apart of The January Challenge was offered, we said yes!

 

Finish the sentence. 'Creativity Is...'
connection.

Cyflwynwch eich hun os gwelwch yn dda.

Mae St Margaret’s House yn arloeswyr mewn ffyrdd dyfeisgar o gyfuno’r celfyddydau a llesiant. Rydym yn dathlu'r holl lefydd lle mae gorgyffwrdd rhwng celfyddydau cymunedol a llesiant, gan gynnig ein perfformiadau a’n rhaglenni mewn lleoliadau nad ydynt yn rhai traddodiadol mewn cydweithrediad  ag artistiaid, grwpiau cymunedol a phobl leol.

 

Ymhle mae creadigrwydd yn ymddangos i chi, a sut fyddwch yn ei ddefnyddio?

Mae creadigrwydd yn greiddiol i’r gwaith rydym yn ei wneud yn St Margaret’s House – ym mhob agwedd o’n sefydliad rydym yn arloesi gyda ffyrdd y gall ein cymuned deimlo wedi ei chyfoethogi’n greadigol.
Trwy ein cynigion Celf rydym yn cwrdd â chreadigrwydd, yn darparu gofod ar gyfer pobl o bob gallu i arbrofi, ymchwilio a phrofi ffurfiau ac ymarferiadau newydd ym myd celf. Yn y ‘Create Place’, ein gofod gweithdy celf weledol, croesawn artistiaid lleol sydd ar ddechrau eu gyrfa sydd yn arwain amrywiaeth o weithdai cyffrous, gan gynnwys crochenwaith, gwnïo, peintio, gwaith coed ac ysgrifennu creadigol. Defnyddiwn greadigrwydd fel man cychwyn ar gyfer dyfeisgarwch, ysbrydoliaeth ac ymchwil, gan annog ein cymuned i drio pethau newydd a herio eu rhagdybiaethau ynglŷn â phwy all fod yn ‘artist’.

 

A yw’ch creadigrwydd wedi’ch arwain erioed i fannau neu at gysylltiadau annisgwyl?

Mae creadigrwydd yn arwain at gysylltiadau annisgwyl trwy’r amser! Mae rhan fawr o’n gwaith yn deillio o ehangu rhwydweithiau a phartneriaethau yn Tower Hamlets (a thu hwnt), a hynny’n aml yn dod o ffynonellau o greadigrwydd megis gweithdai, arddangosfeydd, a digwyddiadau. Creadigrwydd yw’r hyn sydd yn ein cysylltu, gan ddod â mudiadau eraill, artistiaid, ac aelodau o’r gymuned at ei gilydd.

 

Beth a’ch denodd i gymryd rhan yn Her Mis Ionawr?

Cymerodd staff SMH ran yn Her Mis Ionawr y llynedd, gan gael blas ar y cyfle i foddi ein hunain mewn creadigrwydd yn ystod ein dyddiau gwaith prysur. Ar ôl gweld drosom ein hunain yr effaith y gall Her Mis Ionawr ei gael ar ein llesiant a’n creadigrwydd, roeddem yn awyddus iawn i gysylltu efo 64 Million Artists mewn unrhyw ffordd, gan fod yr hyn rydym yn anelu ato a’n hethos ynglŷn â llesiant creadigol mor debyg. Felly pan gynigiwyd cyfle i fod yn rhan o Her Mis Ionawr, yr ateb oedd ia!

 

 

Gorffennwch y frawddeg. ‘Creadigrwydd yw…’

Cysylltiad yw creadigrwydd.