Rooted in Recovery exhibition brings together art, nature and lived experience

Visitors to Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery can discover a powerful and thought-provoking collection of artwork exploring recovery, resilience and connection in Rooted in Recovery, on display until Saturday 7 November 2026.

On display as part of the exhibition at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery

Visitors can see a varied collection of watercolours, mixed-media pieces, ceramics and photography, alongside audio and video work, all inspired by local woodlands and nature. Together, the works reveal individual approaches to the creative process and offer personal perspectives on healing, resilience, reconnection and hope.

The exhibition brings together work created by participants through a nature-based art psychotherapy programme delivered by an NHS Early Intervention in Psychosis Service. The programme began as a pilot project with Small Woods before developing into a woodland-based group at Haughmond Hill, delivered in partnership with Forestry England. In these natural settings, participants used creativity, reflection and therapeutic support to explore experiences connected with psychosis, trauma and recovery.

Project lead Tamsin Welldon explains:

“Art psychotherapy has a long history of supporting individuals experiencing severe mental distress. It can provide an alternative means of communication when experiences cannot be expressed verbally.

“For people experiencing psychosis, whose experiences may be fragmented, overwhelming or difficult to articulate, image-making can provide a symbolic language through which thoughts, emotions and internal experiences can be explored safely. Rather than requiring coherent verbal narratives, art psychotherapy allows meaning to emerge gradually through creative processes, shared reflection and the therapeutic relationship.”

Cllr Alex Wagner, Shropshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture, said:

“The quality, range and honesty of the work on display is remarkable, and I would encourage people to visit and experience it for themselves.

“Rooted in Recovery is living proof that arts and culture have such a major role to play in supporting the health and wellbeing of people across our county. It shows how creativity can provide a voice, build confidence and help people reconnect with themselves, with others and with the world around them.”

Rooted in Recovery is on display in the Community Gallery at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery until Saturday 7 November 2026. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Admission is free, and donations are warmly welcomed to support the museum’s work.

For more information, visit www.shropshiremuseums.org.uk.