WINNER
ArT1st: Celebrating Talents of T1 Diabetes Community During COVID-19 Pandemic
by ArT1st Team
‘ArT1st’ was created in November 2019 by Professor Partha Kar to develop artistic peer support within the type 1 diabetes community, with a live event planned for June 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic put the event on hold. The lockdown adversely affected mental health so, to help lift the mood and reduce social isolation, the ArT1st team launched an online project for the community to send in art contributions. More than 150 were received from countries worldwide over eight weeks. There was much interaction on social media and many positive comments. Friendships developed and artistic collaborative projects resulted. The live event is still planned.
Judges’ comments:
“ArT1st created something quite special and different in a very challenging environment. The work was started in 2019 to prepare a conference and then they showed true adaptability and commitment by reacting to the COVID-19 situation, changing to an inspiring virtual platform which provided people with diabetes much needed support during lockdown. The judges thought this entry should be recognised with “the Spirit of the Time” award.”
