MINDFUL AFRICAN ART WORKSHOPS AND WELLBEING PROGRAMMES

black woman stitching bark clothand african textile — You are allowed to be who you are. To desire. To know your ideas are valid. And above all, to feel safe.

My mindful workshops support the marginalised and burnt out to experience art as a way to process complex emotions. To explore curiosity, expression and to rehearse how to be well and live better with others.
I partner with community, education and art organisations to research the restorative practice of making and help corporate organisations optimise their employee experience. Alongside these bespoke projects, I also host collage and self-portraiture workshops to coach groups of friends and individuals to reimagine their futures.
See my current list of events here and get in touch to discuss your ideas for partnership. Let’s play!

I offer a Pay What You Can model to allow for us to support access for all. Two bursary spaces are held for people who experience financial hardship, disabled, Black and global majority, queer, women, Non Binary folk and working class people will be prioritised. Contact me on hello@birungikawooyaart.com to donate to the bursary or apply for a free workshop space.

Mindful African Art Workshops are at my studio at Bow Arts, Lakeside Centre, Bazalgette Way SE2 9AN (Abbey Wood: National Rail and Queen Elizabeth Line)

“Your workshop was like a retreat! I came across the intentions I set at your workshop and I am doing many of them with recent vigour without realising the connection, so I just wanted to say thank you xxx”

— S. C. B.

Pay What You Can:

£120 - thank you for booking and helping another to enjoy! £79 - thank you for booking at full price! £29 - thank you for booking!

Date:

Sun 26 May 2pm - 6pm Sun 9 Jun 2pm - 6pm Sun 23 Jun 2pm - 6pm

Quantity:

Add To Cart

Get in touch 👇🏾

My previous partnerships include:

A two-part programme inspiring Black womxn to contribute creative writing and artwork towards an anthology project, for the Black Woman Kindness Initiative. Through the Mindful Past and Future workshops, I helped participants to relax, reengage with their senses, culture, memories and hopes in creative writing and artistic responses.

“Thank you so much for delivering such a warm, inviting and authentic session today. Thank you so much for bringing your authentic self to the sessions. The feedback I have received says the women really enjoyed and were impacted by your sessions.”

— Cherrill Hutchinson, Black Woman Kindness Initiative

Engaging marginalised business students at Royal Holloway, University of London, to imagine their highest selves through future-self portraiture and writing, to help raise their ambition and self-efficacy; with survey results showing an overall improvement in hopefulness and self belief.

“You helped me get to know my students and look at how they are connecting with each other and themselves!”

— Professor Sukanya Sen Gupta, Royal Holloway, University of London

Designing an accessible six-part workshop to explore Walworth Living Room users’ experience of health on a personal, community, institutional and systemic level. The programme used quilt making, natural fibre exploration and conversation guided by research questions from Healing Justice London and Pembroke House to share hopes and strategies to support health.

“The workshops expanded the understanding of health and wellbeing by acknowledging that even if you are ill you can still thrive, create, contribute and feel valued by taking part in the creation of something. The act of doing this communally was also an example of how anxiety can be allayed and people can support and take care of each other.”

— Pembroke House

Sharing the dance practice of the Ganda tribe of Uganda for Kauma Arts for Royal Borough of Greenwich, a borough with a significant Ugandan community. As well as screening a film I co-produced, ‘Learn about Kiganda Dance by Aminah Namakula’, I recruited Judith Palmer MBE to teach the principles of Baksimba dance and delivered an art workshop; encouraging participants to make collage artworks inspired by images of the Kiganda dancers to memorialise the experience of dancing together.

“It felt so good to be in my body, dancing with family and other families who haven’t danced to drums in forever. We really needed this!”

— A. Kiwanuka

“It has been such a joy learning about Birungi’s practice and seeing how her energy can transform a room of strangers into a space for laughter, focus and making. Her work is beautiful and playful, tapping into memories of celebratory fabrics and diaspora making home. She is a treasure and I can’t recommend her enough”

— Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf, Artistic Director of Peckham Platform

WHAT HAPPENS IN MINDFUL AFRICAN WORKSHOPS

african print textile — My workshops run as mini retreats, where I create a space for resolution and connection. To sit, feel and rehearse wellbeing.

I invite you to play with natural fibres from East Africa to find your voice through making and better understand your relationship with the earth. Every workshop is different and can be designed around your needs and desires, but each is grounded by three core elements…

1. **Stimulating the senses**

Surrounded by restorative plants and water in my Thamesmead studio, or in your own safe community space, we’ll engage the five senses through nourishing breathwork, tea, aromatherapy, mindful movement, grounding Ugandan rituals on woven palm mats and therapeutic sound healing.

grass batik textile banana fibre art materials — 2. **Exploring your authentic self**

Once we’ve acclimatised to ourselves and each other, I’ll introduce you to using artist materials and offer prompts to help you explore your authentic self through a written or artistic response. I’m a self-taught collage artist and firmly believe you don’t need any artistic experience to express yourself. I will gently coach you to focus your mind and create freely.
Who are you? What do you feel? What do you desire? Explore your identities, your dreams and reimagine yourself through making.

african print textile sun flower waves grass hessian art — 3. **Sharing transformative experiences**

My art and research focuses on fostering the conditions in which to imagine liberation from anxiety and social injustice, and to live well with others. Through writing, doodling, self-portraiture and collaborative art, we can express curiosity, embrace uncertainty and stimulate imagination and empowerment.
Sharing these expressions is transformative. But as with everything in the workshops, sharing is an invitation. Nothing is mandatory, and I always provide space in which to be alone. It’s incredibly important to me to create an environment in which everyone feels included and safe.
In a world that celebrates doing, art is a way of reclaiming our humanity as the glorious human beings we are.
Join me to slow down, create and reimagine your story.

National Saturday Club participants young people University of Wolverhampton Birungi Kawooya — Promoting wellbeing

National Saturday Club at University of Wolverhampton

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Black woman looks at art Birungi Kawooya — Developing a growth mindset

AMT Youth Programme x RenaissanceRe

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blue batik — Black and global majority groups

Black woman smiling — **Finding your creative voice**

Redbridge Council x Arts Council England

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birungi kawooya dr natascha and prof lucy simmen — Empowering students to make a difference

Royal Holloway, University of London x UN PRME

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Learn about Kiganda dance, film and art

Royal Borough of Greenwich x Arts Council England

Discover

People looking at artwork Birungi Kawooya Jacob V Joyce — **Weaving Interdependence: archiving healing**

Pembroke House x Healing Justice London

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“In your workshop I reconnected to myself - your art class is a gift for the soul!”

— J.R.M. (Workshop participant)

Mindful African Art workshop art work with african print textiles — In-Person Workshops

Create with me and explore your identity and express who you want to be. Collage with paper and African print textiles and leave with a framed masterpiece you’re proud of!
Are you looking for a creative activity with your group of:
• friends
• colleagues
• school, college or university?

Drop me a line, I’d love tailor your corporate, school or community workshops to your needs.

In-person Art Workshops

from £29.00

Pay What You Can:

£120 - thank you for booking and helping another to enjoy! £79 - thank you for booking at full price! £29 - thank you for booking!

Date:

Sun 26 May 2pm - 6pm Sun 9 Jun 2pm - 6pm Sun 23 Jun 2pm - 6pm

Quantity:

Add To Cart

How can making art instead of a resolution help you?

Online Workshops

Book me for a creative collage online session and recycle your household paper/textiles into works of art! Have a printer? You can **download my fancy print-it-yourself paper pack** to energise your collage with African print designs.
You'll need:
• materials you’re comfortable cutting up
• glue
• an open mind!

“We loved, loved, loved [our online collage workshop] it! Thank you so much! It was SO much fun and relaxing and it was such a joy to do it with you. We will definitely be spreading the word about your online workshops – it was brilliant.”

— Alyce Biddle, Sheffield Maternity Cooperative

“Great event. Informative, calming fun and easy to fit into a busy life. Thank you.”

— Participant from the Royal College of Nurses

Contact me to discuss your bespoke art wellbeing progamme

Name

First Name

Last Name

Bespoke Workshop Dates

Details and Requirements

“Thanks so much for another wonderful session yesterday! The workshops have been enjoyed by the young people, they were so relaxing and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with you. :)”

— Farrah Riley Gray, Youth Platform Coordinator at Peckham Platform

← Back to Art Workshops

In-person Art Workshops

Birungi Kawooya Minful African Art Class. Black woman in pink dress with finished collage

In-person Art Workshops

from £29.00

Create with me in small intimate classes of 8 (max) and explore your identity, connect with African textiles in my studio and creative rest space.

My current workshops are called “Free to Be” and are curated to restore, be playful and explore your inner world. Your sense of curiosity, nerves, experimentation, trauma and authentic self are welcome and I hold safe and judgement-free space for expression.

Who are you? What do you feel? What do you desire? Explore your identities, your dreams and reimagine yourself through art making.

Pay What You Can:

£120 - thank you for booking and helping another to enjoy! £79 - thank you for booking at full price! £29 - thank you for booking!

Date:

Sun 26 May 2pm - 6pm Sun 9 Jun 2pm - 6pm Sun 23 Jun 2pm - 6pm

Quantity:

Add To Cart