Art as Therapy From the Weyburn Mental Hospital, Saskatchewan

In 1930 Weyburn Mental Hospital, Saskatchewan was the largest building in Canada.

Post WWII battle disorders caused a peak of the in-patient population in the hospital.

The Soo Line Historical Museum in Weyburn has a large room of artifacts from the hospital, many of which are rather horrifying.

They also have a collection of art painted by patients as a result of the art therapy program.

A project Articulation members are working on is a personal response to war. Some of the members are looking at how war affects the whole family not just those who go to war. 

The Soo Line Museum proved to be a rich primary resource for some members.

Ingrid Lincoln, Donna Clement, Mandy Onchulenko.

Equipped to carry out research: sketchbook/notebook, camera, a bag to hold pens, glue stick and gathered materials, sturdy walking shoes, dressed in layers and prepared for all weathers.

But we do stop for meals. Leann, our host, had scouted out a number of different places for us to try the full range of the local cuisine. 

We all enjoyed the Fireside Bistro in Regina located in what was originally a 1913 luxurious private home built in the arts and crafts style using embezzled public monies. That was the beginning of a most colourful history until it became a restaurant in 1979.