Meet our new Co-Chair, Thahmina Begum...
What have you been doing today?
Today I went to deliver 1:1 Art Therapy sessions in a school this morning. I came to home in the afternoon to have a couple of online meetings with different research teams I am currently working with. Then in the evening I Project lead an Arts Project for young people in the community. We are currently doing Drama and storytelling sessions.
Is that a typical day for you?
My days are different and varied everyday as I work as a Freelance Artist-Researcher and Art Psychotherapist. I work with different teams at a variety of settings, and I love it!
When did you start working with culture, health and wellbeing, and how?
My work started over 25 years ago when I started working in Youth and Community Development. Founding and managing a number of grassroots community projects in the Voluntary Sector. I predominately worked to support the work around health inequalities. I was also a practising Artist at the same time and used art activities with the communities I worked with and saw the transformational impact on their health. I then trained as an Art Psychotherapist and am passionate about making therapeutic services accessible into the community.
What was the last project you came across that inspired you?
Last year I had the privilege to be selected for the Global South Arts and Medicine Fellowship. This initiative was founded by Dr Kunle Adewale, running on deep desire to change and inspire arts and health leadership landscape through shared learning and connections.
Thahmina is an Artist-Researcher and qualified Art Psychotherapist, and her clinical practice experience is in NHS Psychiatric Wards, schools, online as well as Community Art therapy groups across Yorkshire. Thahmina’s work as an Artist has been exhibited Internationally, nationally, and hyper locally. Thahmina’s commissions/exhibitions include British Library/Yorkshire Sculpture Park/British Council/Yorkshire Sculpture International, and the Tetley Gallery. Her creative practice explores many social, political, and global issues of our time including a clinical research interest in racial/intergenerational trauma.
Thahmina has worked for over 25 years in the voluntary sector as Youth and Community Development, founding and managing several grassroots community projects.
Thahmina has an array of knowledge, skills and experience including project management, qualitative research with marginalized communities, creative methodologies, funding, leading co-creation projects, partnership/collaboration working.