About Nigat
What is NIGAT?
Northern Ireland Group for Art as Therapy – known as NIGAT - was first formed in 1976, and became a registered charity in 1989 and operates as a membership organisation. The group promotes the use of Art Therapy and Art as Therapy in the community and institutional settings. It provides a unique focus for art, music and drama therapists, artists and those working in health & social services, education and voluntary agencies.
"We use the creative art process to facilitate personal well-being"
Aims & Objectives
- To increase the awareness of the value of the therapeutic art approach
- Commitment to promoting research into Art Therapy and Art Psychotherapy
Therefore NIGAT provides a unique forum for persons:
- interested in using art-making to maintain and/or promote well-being
- interested in pursuing Art Therapy / Art Psychotherapy as a profession or within their existing work
- interested in exploring art-making for personal development
- generally wishing to gain / extend their awareness of the nature of Art Therapy / Art Psychotherapy.
The focus of the Group is Art as Therapy and the Art Therapy /Art Psychotherapy profession, and it also actively encourages networking with other arts therapies, such as Music Therapy, Drama Therapy, and Dance and Movement Therapy. For further details of these Creative Arts Therapies visit Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists.
To find out more about the benefits of membership and how to join click here.
How is NIGAT organised and run?
It is a membership organisation which is administered by a voluntary committee, elected annually at the AGM from within the membership group. Office bearers are elected from within the committee group. NIGAT committee members are involved in networking with diverse local and national committees and groups, thus keeping NIGAT connected to the broader picture of creative therapies.
The AGM is held each year on the third or fourth Thursday in November and everyone interested is welcome to attend.
In the past, due to its voluntary nature, NIGAT has had no fixed premises. However, due to developing links with the Centre For Psychotherapy, NIGAT is currently setting up a more permanent base at the following address:
The Centre For Psychotherapy
Shimna House
Knockbracken Healthcare PLC
Belfast
This new base will include a dedicated gallery space to Rita Simon - founder member of NIGAT. A library containing relevant books, articles and archives will also be housed there. You can Contact Us easily by emailing the NIGAT Secretary.
The Committee meets approximately every 6 weeks and normally consists of up to 14 people and currently includes the following:
NIGAT Committee Members
- Chairperson: Frank Holmes
- Vice Chairperson: TBC
- Secretary/ Membership Secretary: Fiona Chapman
- Treasurer: Darren Black
- Gerard Bedell
- Alice McCullough
- Annie McIntyre
- Ceri McKervill
- Christine McSherry
- Joanne Robinson
- Gail Stewart
- Tina Enlander
President: Rita Simon
The committee also comprises the following Working Groups to keep certain key areas active:
• Development and Funding Working Group
• Summer School Working Group
• Editorial Working Group.
History of NIGAT
The founding of the Group was inspired by Rita Simon, Art Therapist, who is now President of NIGAT. Rita is also a founding member of the British Association of Art Therapists. She is now Honorary President of BAAT. Rita Simon has published three books on Art Therapy:
- Simon, Rita M. (2005) Self-Healing Through Visual and Verbal Art Therapy: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
- Simon, Rita M. (1997), Symbolic Images in Art as Therapy. London: Routledge
- Simon, Rita M. (1992) The Symbolism of Style: Art as Therapy. London: Routledge.
The Rita Simon Collection is a collection of artwork (made between 1942-1984) deriving from Rita Simon's 55 years of work as an art therapist in private practice, hospitals and day centres of the National Health Service and Social Services. The collection is housed in the Wellcome Trust's History of Medicine Library - Iconographic Collections.
For a full history of NIGATs Latest News over the years click here.
Life Members:
Life Membership has been conferred on the following people in honour of their role as founding members of NIGAT and in recognition of their outstanding work for and dedication to NIGAT over the last 25 years:
- Rita Simon
- Dorothy McCourt
- Alice Graham
Plus Honorary Member:
- Margaret Shanks
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