Creative events coming up at Leventis Gallery

Time to hit the galleries! A series of new events and workshops is taking place at the AG Leventis Gallery in Nicosia, inviting old and young not only to get up close and personal with art but also to experience the museum in a different way.

This Saturday, an experiential workshop with art therapists Savina Ioannou and Vasiliki Papachristodoulou invites adults for a creative morning. The art therapy programme Rooted in Creativity is a series of workshops hosted by the AG Leventis Gallery to provide integrated, comprehensive and human-centred care for individuals with refugee and migration experiences. The initiative draws inspiration from the themes explored in the gallery’s current temporary exhibition From Asia Minor to Cyprus: Heyday – Catastrophe – Displacement – Rebirth.

During Saturday’s 11am workshop, participants will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition, focus on specific exhibits with the help of the therapists, share stories and at the end create their own works of art. The creative process through the visual arts will allow the participants to observe things from an aesthetic perspective and dimension – a factor that can be useful for the painful and traumatic memories of refugeehood and displacement.

The workshop costs €20 and lasts for an hour and a half. Although there are limited spots, anyone who registers can join the event without the need to have specific artistic abilities. The only thing participants will be invited to bring is an object that reflects displacement and contributes to the preservation of memory.

Next week, a Meditation with Art event will take place with museum educator Theodora Demetriou. Wednesday’s event is open not only to adults but teenagers as well (above 15 years old) and through a guided session they will have the opportunity to learn interesting information about the impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his painting White Roses before doing a short, guided meditation inspired by it. At the end of the workshop, participants will share their experiences through painting and writing to conclude a wholesome afternoon surrounded by art.

Rooted in Creativity

Experiential art therapy workshop. February 10. A.G. Leventis Gallery, Nicosia. 11am-12.30pm. €20. Tel: 22-668838

Meditation with Art

Guided by museum educator Theodora Demetriou. February 14. A.G. Leventis Gallery, Nicosia. 6.30pm-7.30pm. €10. Tel: 22-668838