A University of Dundee project that uses art to build the bond between parents and youngsters has won first prize as the UK’s Strategic Knowledge Exchange Partnership of the Year. Art at the Start received the accolade at the 2024 PraxisAuril Knowledge Exchange Awards in Bristol on Thursday. Led by Dr Vicky Armstrong and Professor Josephine Ross from the University’s Psychology Department, the pioneering initiative explores how engagement with the arts impacts on an infant’s development and ability to build relationships.
In partnership with Dundee Contemporary Arts, they developed an art therapy service for infants and their caregivers who needed support, as well as creative and messy play sessions for children from birth to aged three. These events have provided an evidence base for the team to record and evaluate the social consequences of art making in early childhood. Having worked initially with families from the Tayside area, Dr Armstrong, an art therapist, and Professor Ross, an expert in developmental psychology, have subsequently expanded the project to other areas of the UK. This has led the project team to work in partnership with NHS services, community organisations, and local councils throughout the country. The collaborative nature of Art at the Start, its societal impact and effectiveness in addressing early mental health issues were cited as key factors in winning the prestigious PraxisAuril award.
Dr Armstrong said, “We are really pleased that this award recognises how important partnership has been for the project. We have really benefited from the support and knowledge of NHS teams, galleries, community groups and families themselves, all seeing the power of art and coming together to support the youngest in society.” Dr David McBeth, the University’s Vice-Principal (Enterprise & Economic Transformation), said, “This award is special for the University as it provides UK-level recognition for a genuine strategic partnership that is demonstrating the University’s social purpose in action within our region.
“In partnership with DCA, Vicky, Josephine and their colleagues have created an arts-based intervention that is making a real difference for children in Tayside. This is a perfect example of the sort of impact that we aim to create via our Engagement & Enterprise Strategy”
