Discovering Hartwood
Discovering Hartwood is a day long free open house event at Shotts Community Centre as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival!
About Discovering Hartwood
A multi-layered arts event being hosted to celebrate and share stories of the often-hidden history of Hartwood Hospital, a former psychiatric hospital in Shotts. Featuring storytelling performances, live music, drama workshops and an exhibition.
Storyteller Jane Mather and harpist Heather Yule will deliver In the Hartwood, a storytelling adventure which reveals a new history regarding Hartwood Hospital and it’s Paupers Cemetery. Celebrated soprano Monica McGhee will perform three of Scottish composer Robert McHardy’s lost songs.
'In the Hartwood' is a celebration of the lives of the patients at Hartwood Psychiatric Hospital which was open between 1895 and 1998 - at one time Scotland's biggest asylum.
As part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, 'Discovering Hartwood' day at Shotts will feature this special performance focusing on the lives of those who died in the institution. While the building now lies in ruins a team of volunteers tends the paupers cemetery in the grounds, and whilst uncovering their last resting place have also been discovering their remarkable stories.
In part one Storyteller Jane Mather and harpist Heather Yule will tell a modern fairytale about the cemetery and the folk who care for the graves today guiding you into the faerie realm where dreams are powerful and spirits abound.
Part two focuses in on the amazing story of one patient -Strathaven's Polish Baroness ‘Lady Felice’, and in particular her relationship with Robert Machardy, a celebrated Scottish Composer of Victorian times.
Motherwell born soprano Monica McGhee accompanied by Geoffrey Tanti on Piano will resurrect three Machardy songs which, to our knowledge, have not been played in public for at least a hundred years, the music for which until recently had been languishing in the archives of the British Library.
• The Soldier - was composed in 1879
• Song of the Sea - originally commissioned in 1879 by Thérèse Tietjens a leading opera and oratorio soprano during the 1860s and 1870s.
• What is there in that beaming eye - 1876
The workshops and performances aim to reveal a deeper understanding of mental health issues, promote dialogue and encourage community healing through the arts.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Lanarkshire, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Lanarkshire? Follow us on Facebook and join the What's On Scotland Group!Sponsored Links
Other Events at Shotts Community Centre or Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival
Jessica Ramm: Hard Edges Soft Layers
Hard Edges Soft Layers is an exhibition by Jessica Ramm, artist and writer based in Glasgow, exploring vulnerability within motherhood.
READ MORE
ir/regular
Join the team at Project Ability for their next exhibition 'ir/regular featuring work from neurodivergent artist Grant Glennie.
READ MORE
Brave Spaces
An exhibition of original screenprints created by participants working with Bazooka Arts and Glasgow Print Studio, in response to the theme Brave Spaces.
READ MOREScottish Mental Health Arts Festival
The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is back from 20th October to 9th November 2025, exploring the theme of Comfort & Disturb.
READ MORE
Time and Space: Comfort in Chaos
Time and Space presents a multi-media exhibition exploring Comfort & Disturb through the experiences of people who hear voices and/or self-harm.
READ MORE
Artspace: Creative Connections in Callander - Exhibition
This exhibition features work produced by participants in six weeks of workshops led by a professional artist, responding to SMHAF’s 2025 theme, Comfort & Disturb.
READ MORE
Do Not Disturb!
Do Not Disturb! is a series of staged photographs created to tell the stories of those who have been, or still are, affected by poor mental health.
READ MOREYoung At Heart
These weekly one-hour workshops invite participants to explore movement and learn new dance moves in a fun, relaxed and social environment.
READ MORE
Out of Sight Out of Mind: Launch
Join us at Summerhall to celebrate the launch of Out of Sight Out of Mind, featuring artworks made by 400 people with experience of mental health issues.
READ MORE
Journaling for Mad Minds
This workshop celebrates a unique writing practice offering refuge, reflection and playtime to the busy mind.
READ MORE
Comfort & Disturb: Mental Health in Argyll
Join Jean's Bothy Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub for a panel discussion with people with lived experience, carers, politicians and officials.
READ MOREInk & Insight
Join Lanarkshire Links for three member-led workshops exploring this year's theme, Comfort & Disturb. Make art using drawing, painting, and writing, share your ideas, and celebrate creativity with us!
READ MORE
Neuro Art 2025: Art Exhibition
Create Paisley and Renfrewshire HSCP invite neurodivergent artists in Renfrewshire to take part in a vibrant art exhibition celebrating diverse perspectives.
READ MORECreative Comfort Zones: Brave Spaces and the Edges of Ease
Bazooka Arts hosts a series of participatory workshops, performances and an exhibition, inviting participants to explore their comfort zones through therapeutic arts.
READ MORE
I Used to Be…
Textiles exhibition by Eilidh Manson featuring items that we expect to bring comfort, but, on closer inspection, are not what we expect them to be.
READ MORE
Gartnavel Royal Summer House Residency
Project Ability artists and inpatients from Gartnavel Royal Hospital reflect on ideas of comfort and disturbance in nature, with visits to the Gartnavel Summer House and gardens.
READ MORE
Paint With Wool
Needle felting invites focus and reflection, this four-week course offers you the chance to discover how learning to 'paint with wool' can help you nurture your mental wellbeing.
READ MORE
Out of Sight Out of Mind Exhibition
The biggest mental health art exhibition in Scotland in it's 13th year will present artworks made by 400 people.
READ MORE
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Are You Sitting Comfortably? is a one-day programme showcasing new mental health themed theatre, plus creative conversations, installations and more.
READ MORE
Chance2Change: Health n Equality
Celebrate creativity and community with Chance2Change, as we present spoken word films, powerful art, and excerpts from our collaborative novel.
READ MORE
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stress But Were Too Afraid to Ask
Therapeutic comedy with Raymond Mearns and special guests exploring the 14 signs of stress, what it looks like, and how to manage it.
READ MORE
Get Your Groove On with The Buddy Beat
Feel good through rhythm! Join our free drumming taster sessions - easy, uplifting, and great for wellbeing. Includes tea, coffee, and biscuits.
READ MORE
Participatory Arts & Mental Health Symposium
Explore the challenges, and rewards, involved in creating participatory arts projects that focus on mental health in this one day gathering.
READ MORE
Love and Madness
Fingerprint Editions brings Mistress Pieces to life with an immersive art installation at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Showcase, taking place on Friday 24th October at Civic House.
READ MORE
The Silver Keys & Shotts St Patricks Brass Band
Back by popular demand, don't miss The Silver Keys & Shotts St Patricks Brass Band, live at the Henderson Theatre on Friday 24th October!
READ MORE
SMHAF x A Kick Up the Arts
Join BBC Broadcaster and A Kick Up The Arts host Nicola Meighan as she explores creativity and mental health with Emma Pollock, Jo Mango and Amy Duncan.
READ MORE
Geostories
Discover how geo-stories can be a powerful tool for voicing lived experiences of mental ill-health and experiment with writing your own.
READ MORE
Seanachaidh - A Storytelling Ceilidh
A traditional ceilidh offering space for storytelling, connection, and emotional expression, exploring Comfort & Disturb through shared experience and maybe a little dancing.
READ MORE
Mad Culture
Join directors Julia Macintosh and Azra Khan at McDonald Road Library on 25th October as they introduce their work in the context of this year's festival theme.
READ MORE
Voices: A Neurodivergent Open Mic
Join us at Slow Progress Coffee and Records for a laid-back open mic event for young people with neurodivergence to share songs, poetry and stories, and meet like-minded people.
READ MORE
Drawn Together
A powerful exhibition of visual art by local people with lived experience of homelessness, sharing stories often overlooked.
READ MORE
Changing the Narrative
Come along to Filmhouse on 26th October and watch short films created by people from a global majority background, people with experience of migration, and young parents.
READ MOREComfort & Disturb Songwriting and Film Project Showcase
This Comfort and Disturb project included songwriting and music performance workshops. The music was then recorded and films were made to accompany them by participants.
READ MORE
Music in The Museum: Between the Notes with Karen MacIver
'Between the Notes' is a gentle invitation to pause, listen, experience and reflect. This special event marks the launch of a new artist-designed public piano for North Lanarkshire.
READ MORE
Creating Space
Creating Space is a creative workshop supporting wellbeing, open to Health All Round participants in Edinburgh.
READ MORE
Extreme Ancestry
Martin Stepek shares powerful stories from his Polish and Irish heritage, including readings from his memoir about his father's astonishing and tragic journey to Scotland.
READ MORE
Between Worlds and Memories - Birth, Death, and Resurrection by Tigo Ayres
Between Worlds and Memories: Birth, Death, and Resurrection is an immersive exhibition-performance by Brazilian-British artist, performer, and psychologist Tigo Ayres.
READ MORENever Give Up
Headliner JustKate shares her journey of survival and transformation, shaped by her experiences with the Scottish care system, through spoken word, piano, and soulful singing.
READ MORE
The Power of Place
Join artist Ian Macintosh as he delves into place as a compelling subject, exploring how our surroundings have the power to comfort or disturb.
READ MOREThe Friendship Bench Documentary
Documentary screening about The Friendship Bench, an initiative to address Zimbabwe's growing mental health crisis, hosted by University of Glasgow's School of Health & Wellbeing.
READ MORE
Liminal Exhibition
Liminal is a collaborative exhibition developed by young people working with the Mental Health Foundation, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and artist Louise Fraser!
READ MOREThe Empty Chair
A psychodrama session exploring the emotional experience of infant feeding, led by psychodrama psychotherapist Leila Frondigoun as part of the Feed project.
READ MORE
Mortality & Making: Crafting Conversations About Death
Join us for a taboo-breaking, liberating workshop that explores death through storytelling, coffin crafting, and open conversation.
READ MORE
Moving Minds
Join us for an uplifting day of community, creativity, and celebration as Moving Minds returns to Civic House as part of Glasgow 850!
READ MORE
Silver Swans Celebration
Join us for a day of movement, music and creativity with RAD and Dance Base, designed for those aged 55 and over!
READ MORE
All Write Now
Have you ever wanted to try creative writing to support your health and wellbeing? Then come along to All Write Now, a relaxed writing group run by Health All Round.
READ MORE
Embodied M*ther
Join artists Rebecca Livesey-Wright (they/she) and Indra Wilson (they/them) for a relaxed clay workshop and open conversation on experiences of pregnancy and m*therhood.
READ MORE
Out of the Shadows
Out of the Shadows is an exhibition of paintings by young people who attend The Aims Project, reflecting their personal journeys from high school into adulthood.
READ MORE
Disturbing the Picture
Explore how photography can help reframe mental health, wellbeing and life stories in this hands-on creative workshop.
READ MORE
OOSOOM Uncovered
OOSOOM Uncovered is a unique opportunity to engage with the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition’s Planning Group and volunteers. Everyone is welcome to join!
READ MORE
Nurture & Empower
Explore how art can comfort people with lived experience of social isolation and Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) in this hands-on event.
READ MORE
Mind of Man
Inspired by the experiences of Scottish prisoners and the author's own journey with undiagnosed ADHD and autism, this is a powerful play about the struggle to claim your place in the world.
READ MORE
Speakin’ Oor Mind
Join See Me for a relaxed evening of spoken word performances exploring the theme of Comfort & Disturb, followed by an open mic session in a warm and supportive environment.
READ MORE
International Film Awards
Selected from over 450 submissions, we will be celebrating the stunning winning films that confront and reflect on mental health at our much-loved annual awards ceremony.
READ MOREYoung Lives and Perceptions of Wellbeing
An exhibition featuring artworks by children from local schools and the family support project Families Here and Now, reflecting their views on wellbeing.
READ MORE
Art is to Console
Help create a collaborative collage inspired by Van Gogh's A Starry Night, reflecting on comfort, disturbance and our mental health journeys.
READ MORE
Home Comforts
Home Comforts invites us to look closer at the spaces we inhabit and inherit, questioning what they give us, what they take from us - and how they shape who we become.
READ MOREThere’s Comfort in Community
This short film programme explores human connection and the profound comfort found in community.
READ MORE
Exhibiting Ellamatta
An exploratory exhibition of work by Janella Lewis (1943–2024), exploring represents her multiple lived worlds of mental ill-health.
READ MORE
Unique Perspectives
From snow-peaked mountains to surreal dreamscapes, this programme brings together a bold selection of shorts that explore identity, and offer insight into lives often left at the margins.
READ MORE
DIAGNONSENSE
For over 15 years, director Ane-Martha Tamnes Hansgård was labelled with several serious psychiatric diagnoses. DIAGNONSENSE is a unique cinematic universe based on her experiences.
READ MORE
Film in Mind
Aimed at filmmakers who have been involved in making work exploring mental health, this small group session is led by Film in Mind founder and psychotherapist Rebecca Day.
READ MORE
Story Cafe: Community Wellbeing
Join our Story Cafe in Glasgow's southside to listen and share stories, exploring Comfort & Disturb from a creative and reflective perspective.
READ MORE
Radical Rhymes: Powerful Poems Through the Ages
Martin Stepek shares a powerful talk with poetry readings, demonstrating how poetry has always offered comfort in suffering.
READ MORE
Fading Frames
Join us for the premiere of a new short film about the complexities of love, loss and letting go, commissioned by NHS Lanarkshire's SMHAF programme.
READ MORE
See Me More Clearly, Hear Me More Clearly
An exhibition exploring Comfort & Disturb through digital photography, sculpture, and climate-themed artworks made from found materials.
READ MORE
Grey Milk & Lost Kin
In Grey Milk & Lost Kin, artist filmmaker Wilma Stone crafts an imaginary world of her hidden ancestral lineage, from the Gypsy/Traveller communities of Scotland.
READ MORE
Chasing The Light
An idealistic dream becomes a world-renowned centre of Tibetan Buddhist practice on an Irish peninsula in Chasing the Light, a hopeful and inspiring feature documentary from director, Maurice O'Brien.
READ MORE
Disturbances
This collection of short films blends animation and drama, reframing a series of distinctive interruptions to everyday lives as powerful opportunities for reflection and exploration.
READ MORE
Psychogeographies
Taking you on a journey through physical and imagined geographies, these diverse short films reveal complex landscapes shaped by trauma, grief and conflict.
READ MORE
Myth and the Self: Creative Explorations of Gold and Shadow
Two creative, experiential dramatherapy-based workshops as part of Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025. Discover the power of myth!
READ MORE
Palestine Comedy Club
Following six Palestinian comedians coming from Haifa, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron,and the Golan Heights who come together to form the first Palestinian Comedy Club.
READ MORE
Spoken Word Supper Club
A vibrant evening of spoken word fuelled by food and fierce new writing by young people living in West Lothian.
READ MORE
ReMode presents: The Repair Retreat
Slow down and stitch new life into your clothes at ReMode's Repair Retreat. Join us for a mindful, hands-on session of creative mending and personal restoration
READ MORE
Easy Sundays: The TAM Sessions
The TAM Sessions is an open and informal trad session, but with the lovely additional invitation to bring your sewing, knitting, crochet, or any other crafting project that you enjoy.
READ MORESponsored Links
Similar events you might like...
Strathclyde Parkrun
Strathclyde Parkrun is a weekly, free 5km timed run held on Saturday mornings at Strathclyde Country Park!
READ MORE
Drumpellier Junior Parkrun
Drumpellier Junior Parkrun is a weekly, free 2km timed run held on Sunday mornings at Drumpellier Country Park!
READ MORE
Pain Association Scotland - Self Management for People Living with Chronic Pain
Pain Association Scotland run professionally-led monthly groups across Lanarkshire for people living with all forms of chronic pain.
READ MORE
Julie Keys Bumps Couples Workshop
Julie Keys Bumps Couples Workshop is tailored to equip expecting mums and their birth partners with the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate childbirth with confidence and positivity!
READ MORE
Baby Massage Course with Pebble Sense
Join Pebble Sense for a six week block of Baby Massage classes for 0-7 month olds at be.fit Uddingston.
READ MORE
Candlelit Yin Yoga for Deep Rest
Calm your nervous system and welcome your new evening wind-down ritual with this deeply nourishing and grounding yoga class from Yoga By Gillian!
READ MORE
Young At Heart
These weekly one-hour workshops invite participants to explore movement and learn new dance moves in a fun, relaxed and social environment.
READ MORE
Ink & Insight
Join Lanarkshire Links for three member-led workshops exploring this year's theme, Comfort & Disturb. Make art using drawing, painting, and writing, share your ideas, and celebrate creativity with us!
READ MORE
Creative Comfort Zones: Brave Spaces and the Edges of Ease
Bazooka Arts hosts a series of participatory workshops, performances and an exhibition, inviting participants to explore their comfort zones through therapeutic arts.
READ MOREFind other events in Lanarkshire
Sponsored Links