International Expressive Arts Spring Symposium 2020 in Lapinlahti, Helsinki, Finland
A Beautiful Mind: Art,
Thought and Resilience
33rd Expressive Arts Spring Symposium
Tuesday, April 14th – Sunday, April 19th 2020
in Lapinlahti, Helsinki, Finland
organized by Institute Inartes and
The International Network of Expressive Arts Training
Setting
A beautiful house hosting heartful, beautiful minds.
Lapinlahti in Helsinki will be the site of the next Spring Symposium 2020. The first mental hospital in Finland was established in 1841. Its unique and also tragic history connected to the main figures of Finnish artistic heritage has its special atmosphere and a sense of the past. The place has experienced a rebirth offering nowadays working space and studios to therapists, artists, craftsmen, communities and health organisations. Lapinlahti is an oasis on the edge of the busy centre of Helsinki.
While we explore the arts we will also explore this wonderful building and its surroundings. Historical spaces of the hospital are part of our journey. The garden around us may surprise us with its plants and animals as well as its rocky coast and beach. We can walk by the sea or rest in the Venice-house above the water. The building and its present inhabitants are welcoming us and inviting us to journey into our expanding realms of art, thought and resilience.
Lapinlahti provides us with the restaurant, From Waste to Taste, cafes, a bakery, a mental health museum, art exhibitions, small shops and a flea market.
Exploring questions of a
BEAUTIFUL MIND
Art
Art as a healer and environment as healing? How do we nurture subtle and creative minds through art-making? What is a mindful place for beautiful minds? How can a historic building and green surroundings enhance our well-being? What part does beauty play in all of this?
Thought
How can thoughtful reflecting on how art and theory intertwine in expressive arts nurture us and take the work forward? How might lectures by workshop leaders on topics close to their hearts inspire our inventiveness?
Resilience
How can the healing power of the arts and imagination strengthen our resilience of mind, keeping us open to explore together. How do the expressive arts foster supportive environmen