Projects

The stories of those we work with…

Founding members Martin and Melanie Swan

One of our founder members went to a meeting on the Isle of Wight in 2008, to learn about the Cultural Olympiad. She was so impressed with the ideals and commitment she saw that she came away filled with enthusiasm to do something positive to carry those ideals forward.

She told some other artists she knew who, like her, live with autism in the family as well as other so-called 'hidden disabilities'. They all felt that this was so important that they too wanted to do something to express and support these ideals. A new community group was formed and our Project emerged; families daring to dream of taking our work to celebrate in London in 2012. The idea grew and found eager support from other organisations, so we determined to work to include and celebrate with as many other families living with autism as we can! We want to joyfully celebrate the creativity, caring and sharing of our lives and experiences; the importance of every human being, our relationships with one another and the world around us.

"No Man is an Island entire of itself;" wrote John Donne in his wonderful poem, expressing so well our feeling of common humanity. We took its opening words as the name of our Project and we're working to show that, in the words of the poet, "...I am involved in Mankind."

The No Man is an Island Project is at the start of an exciting journey, beginning with the work of families living on the Isle of Wight. This year we'll be working to create the core of an exhibition which will grow along the way, in a great collaborative venture. We're starting on an Island but, as the Project grows, it will embrace more and more families like ours while travelling across the South East region. Amongst those taking part are poets and painters, sculptors and craftspeople and we hope to form links with others along the way, embracing the whole of the creative experience.

Awards for All made it possible for us to start our journey and being included in the Inspire programme has given us the most amazing encouragement to go forward. The dream is becoming a reality because of the wonderful support and enthusiasm of everyone who's taking part, to build a genuinely inclusive project, overcoming barriers of isolation to make us all "...a piece of the Continent, a part of the Main".