Two cancer patients from Tameside have been inspired to paint in the style of Van Gogh as part of a competition being run in conjunction with the Van Gogh Alive exhibition at MediaCityUK. 

Trudi Proctor from Droylsden and Madeleine Reid from Hyde are two of the many patients to have benefitted from art classes in the art room at The Christie.

The art room will shortly undergo a major refurbishment funded by The Christie charity and the charitable proceeds of the Van Gogh Alive exhibition.

Madeleine, 74, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and then again in 2016 in her other breast. She first started to visit the art room more than six years ago after her first cancer diagnosis. 

She said: “I’m delighted to be involved in this project, supporting the fundraising efforts to expand the art room at The Christie. Van Gogh was a fantastic painter and imitating his style in my own work will be a challenge. 

“The art room at The Christie is a truly amazing place where patients can go to focus on something other than having cancer, at least for a few hours at a time.

Trudi, 57, was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2016 and first visited the art room in 2017.

She said: “The art room at The Christie was my saviour after I was diagnosed and a real lifeline for me. It’s important to be with a group of people who understand the emotions that you go through when you are living with and coming to terms with cancer.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that patients like Madeleine and Trudi are currently undertaking art classes at home led by The Christie’s artist in residence, Pat Mountford, who manages the art room and classes. Pat also supports Christie staff by providing art classes for employees at the Trust.

The artworks created by the patients will be exhibited in The Christie and one will be chosen to go for auction at The Van Gogh Alive exhibition with the proceeds supporting the new art room at The Christie.

Pat said: “With the support of The Christie charity and The Van Gogh Alive exhibition we will be completely refurbishing the art room with an extension and an outside area. It’s a very exciting project and will be a huge benefit to our patients. 

“Cancer can be physically devastating, but it is emotionally draining too. This is why the art room service at The Christie is so important. Many of our patients say that coping with the emotional effects of cancer, can be as hard – if not harder – than dealing with the physical effects of treatment such as nausea and fatigue. 

“The art room at The Christie has helped many of our patients cope with these effects. They may never have picked up a brush before, but it's somewhere they can escape, and be with others who understand what they're going through. It does something medicine cannot do - it helps them to regain confidence and become their self again.”

“We want more of our patients to benefit from the sense of community and support that the art room brings. As part of the project, we will also be investing in new materials such as paints and easels and decorating the art room to make it a welcoming place for patients who want to participate in classes or simply create their own artworks while they are with us.”

The Van Gogh Alive exhibition at MediaCityUK will be an immersive multi-sensory art exhibition exhibiting the life and work of the seminal Dutch artist. It opens its doors from 22 October 2021 to 23 January 2022. 

Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to make a donation to The Christie charity when purchasing tickets, in the exhibition shop where proceeds from sales of pencils, biscuits and colouring books will be donated to the art room refurbishment project and at digital donation pods located around the exhibition space. 

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