Local artist looks to set up CIC for creative therapy sessions

Date published: 06 July 2022

A local artist who is running free creative art sessions is looking to set up a Community Interest Company.

Dani Burke, of the Studio Artisan, runs free voluntary sessions for struggling teenagers and adults, to help them use art as a therapeutic output – much like she did herself after her father died.

Unable to sleep and battling depression, Dani dug out some blank canvases and picked up her paints, later going on to set up her own successful abstract art business during lockdown.

She now runs sessions for teens at Castleton Library plus similar sessions for adults at Touchstones and the Mind Wellbeing Centre on Drake Street.

After starting sessions for teenagers earlier this year, Dani now has a waiting list for a second group and is trying to find a venue and funding.

She said: “Our creative sessions are growing from strength to strength and I have a waiting list for a second group; I am just trying to find a venue and funding. I am still doing all this on a volunteering basis until I get my registration to become a CIC.”

A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a limited company, with special additional features, created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit.

“I have spent hours upon hours contacting local businesses and local councillors for support or donations, especially for minibuses for our day trips and art materials, but I never hear back from anyone, even local services that are supposed to be here for our local kids. I just don’t understand it,” Dani said.

“If people want a safer and happier Rochdale, they need to put love and kindness into our local people and provide them with a safe, welcoming place to connect and get creative. I have waiting list for people who need these sessions; it’s just finding the support because as an individual there is only so much I can do.”
 

Read more: Artist raising £500 towards creative art sessions for teenagersPublished: 01 April 2022

Dani continued: “Our teen group was invited by Touchstones to have a private tour around the art and heritage centre on Fishwick street which was amazing. We got to see lots of different artefacts like Egyptian jewellery and fossils. We even got to see all the old and original newspapers.

“The teens loved it; it was an inspirational tour as my creative teenage sessions will create a big piece of wall art together with our amazing local street artist Marc Jaruszek in Touchstones this month for their youth project.”
 

Read more: Success as artist sets up own business during lockdownPublished: 16 May 2021

Dani also took the teen group to the Manchester Art Gallery for “empowerment and inspiration”, saying: “I wanted to show them just where their art journey can take them and give them the confidence to keep creating as they are all so talented. I am so proud of them and their imagination and art skills can take them far.

“I think schools tend to forget to encourage our kids to be more creative and teach them just how well they can do in life through art. Sometimes our local kids who struggle mentally and academically get forgotten about and I won't let that happen.

“I was never very academic at school and wasted many years but if I had someone to show me where my creativity and art could take me and who believed in me properly, I could have done so much more in life with my art.”

She quipped: “I'm still doing ok even though I started at 38! I just want to show these teens how amazing they are and that the world is their oyster.”
 

Read more: Free creativity sessions at Rochdale and District MindPublished: 26 February 2022

The artist continued: “I want teens to know that I offer a safe friendly welcoming place to come and get creative. Especially teens who struggle to make friends or suffer from hidden disabilities or have victims of bullying, these are the teens I am so passionate about helping.

“All my sessions are completely free still and all art materials are supplied. I've had many people suggest I charge to cover costs, but I won’t: many of our local families are struggling so much financially and I refuse to let that be a barrier for them to get creative and make friends.

“We had a generous donation of art materials by Jennifer Vickers and Dani Gaines at Touchstones; I was thrilled to bits, and it helped me out. Touchstones, especially Dani, has been so supportive and has introduced me to lots of people and given me amazing opportunities to maintain these much-needed creative teenage sessions and I am forever grateful.”
 

Read more: Free women’s art therapy sessions at TouchstonesPublished: 08 December 2021

Dani has also facilitated a session for those with dementia, which she is going to try and “do more of.”

She concluded: “I’m wanting to do so much more. My passion is to stop people in our local community from feeling isolated and alone and struggling mentally the old and young through creativity.”

If anyone wishes to volunteer or aid Dani in any way, please get in touch via email Danielleburke37@yahoo.com or via Facebook.