Charity Work and Sportart Workshops | Jim Scullion Artist Illustrator Sport, Celtic Football Club, Music, Movies, Prints, Portraits, Commissions.

CHARITY WORK AND SPORT ART WORKSHOPS

SPORTART WORKSHOPS

Jim’s Sportart workshops were originally designed as part of the Sportart exhibition in 1990. Prior to the exhibition Jim ran workshops in the community and used sport as a way of getting people interested in art. It was also hoped that the participants would also get interested in different sports. Around 3.000 people took part in the workshops, which culminated in the Sportart Exhibition where much of their work was put on display alongside Jim’s Artwork.

After the sportart Exhibition Jim continued to host the workshops which have have taken place in numerous settings including Ayr Racecourse in conjunction with the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust.

Development of The Sportart Workshops

For many years Jim was a Social Worker and he has combined his Social work knowledge and his artistic ability to work with young people. Over a lengthy period of time Jim developed the Sportart Workshops to offer a therapeutic way of working with young people facing a range of difficulties and problems including, Poverty, Addiction issues, Domestic Violence, Racism, Bereavement, Bullying, Sectarianism, Gender Issues, Disability, Offending, etc.

The aims of the workshops are numerous. Sport is used to create an interest in art and to create an atmosphere where creative ideas can be shared openly and the more complex issues can be discussed and explored safely.

Children In Need

From an artistic perspective, the basics of drawing and painting are taught giving the participants the opportunity to work closely with the artist and with professional artists materials. The workshops also aim to provide a setting where participants can have the confidence to share their creative ideas openly in an environment where their ideas will be treated with respect. Teamwork is also an important factor of the workshop setting. A variety of simple art and drama-based exercises are used to help create group identity in a real fun way, while also laying the foundations for creative thinking.

Support from Fair Sporting Masters and BBC Children in Need allowed Jim to work alongside Education, Social Work and Voluntary Agency staff to deliver the Workshops. Jim continued to offer workshops on a voluntary basis to many of the organisations.

Petal

During the workshops organised by Children In Need Jim visited a voluntary organisation in Hamilton called PETAL (People experiencing Trauma and Loss) which gives support to people who have lost loved ones to murder or suicide. Initially he was to be there for 6 weeks but he continued to work each Saturday morning on a voluntary basis for 6 years. The young people in the group produced some amazing artwork and worked well at addressing bereavement and other related issues. Along with Jim and his wife they also raised money to buy materials for the group and to pay for field trips to museums and galleries in Scotland. They also raised money to achieve one of the Bucketlist wishes that all group members had. Jim, his wife, some of the parents and grandparents took the group of young people to Disneyland Paris for 5 days.

Celtic Foundation

Over the past Few years Jim has devoted much of his free time to working along with the Celtic Foundation. He has worked with several groups of people who benefit from the work of the Foundation. He has run full Sportart workshops lasting several months with various groups and has also presented Master Classes on a shorter and one off basis for schools and for adult groups.

He also runs a weekly art class at Celtic Park with Danny McGrain and Tony Roper. An Exhibition from that class was planned and then abandoned due to Covid Lockdown. However, the exhibition will now take place early 2024.

Paintings for Charity

Over the years much of Jim’s original art has been auctioned off for charity and often raises five figure sums. In the past 30 years Jim’s paintings have helped to raise just over £5 Million for causes close to his heart. Jim could not keep up the demand from Charities for artworks and arranged to donate Artist proof prints, Limited Editon prints and one off special prints which were hand embellished by the artist. The demand for these became so excessive that Jim decided to offer his time and expertise to specific charities as detailed above. He also supports the project run by St Margaret’s School in Airdrie, in relation to the work they do in Malawi and also with Mission Rabies.

Finding Out More About Jim's Voluntary Work

Jim is often asked to to speak at schools, art clubs, Community Groups etc. If you wish to know more about his Charity, Voluntary and Community work you can follow him on Social Media or subscribe to the newsletter.