Art Therapy Performances (ATPs)

🇮🇹 ATP I — Rome, Italy

17–19 June 2025

The second Art Therapy Performance took place in Rome from 17 to 19 June 2025,
hosted by Fondazione Internazionale Don Luigi Di Liegro. After a warm welcome
by Luigina Di Liegro and a review of the project’s progress across all work packages,
the mobility opened with a welcoming circle led by psychologist Lavinia Fagnani.

Day 1 – Theatre Therapy & the “Gift of Hope”

Art therapist Jessica Tosi and theatre expert Roberto Baldassari guided participants
through storytelling and embodied expression, exploring themes of trust, resilience
and collective healing.

Day 2 – Healing Through Sound

Prof. Gianluca Taddei, psychologist, music therapist and musician, introduced
participants to therapeutic soundscapes and the art of listening, before an
improvisational session titled “Musical Flow” encouraged emotional release and
creative freedom.

Day 3 – Expression, Reflection & Performance

The group took part in an art therapy session called “Giving, Hoping, Dreaming,”
followed by a group reflection and the creation of a project video. The mobility
closed with the public performance “Hope on Stage” at Teatro de’ Servi, where
participants showcased the work created throughout the theatre and music workshops —
a powerful conclusion to four days of transformation.

The activity was also shared with the wider community through a theatrical
presentation dedicated especially to people living with disabilities and a range
of mental-health conditions, attended by a large audience from Rome.

“Shared art, shared healing — more than a series of workshops, this gathering
was a space for connection, expression, and healing, laying the foundation
for long-term collaboration and solidarity.”

🇵🇹 ATP II — Braga, Portugal

20–24 January 2026

The partners met again in Braga for the second international learning activity,
gathering 47 participants from Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy and
Ukraine for a programme combining choreology, visual arts, dance therapy and
mental health practices.

Day 1 – Welcome & Coordination

The mobility began at the Human Power Hub with a welcome session and a Transnational
Project Meeting dedicated to international and local coordination, followed by the
welcome and orientation of participants.

Day 2 – Immersive Workshops & Welcome Celebration

After an opening session, consent forms and an online pre-test, participants rotated
through immersive workshops alternating between choreology and dance therapy.
The evening brought a Portuguese–Ukrainian welcome celebration at the Braga Public Market.

Day 3 – Culture, Technical Deepening & Creation

A morning visit to Bom Jesus do Monte was followed by a workshop on technical and
creative deepening — culminating in a choreographic composition and an artistic
creation using earth and movement: canvas painting.

Day 4 – Visit, Rehearsal, Recording & Final Performance

After a visit to Braga’s historic centre and lunch at the D. Diogo de Sousa Museum,
the afternoon was dedicated to rehearsals, the creation of the artistic work
“Tears in Earth,” a post-test, and audiovisual recordings.

The mobility culminated in the final performance “The Body in the Museum:
A Health Performance” at the museum, followed by a farewell dinner.

“More than just a series of workshops, this gathering was a space for connection,
expression, and healing — laying the foundation for long-term collaboration
and solidarity.”

🇬🇷 ATP III — Aegina, Greece

19–23 May 2026

From 19 to 23 May 2026, EPIONI hosted the Greek session of the TRUST Art Therapy
mobility within the 4th “Art & Mental Health” Festival in Aegina, welcoming
30 participants from Ukraine alongside partners from Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy,
Portugal, and Greece’s associate partner Diversity United.

Through eco-art therapy workshops in poetry, land art, ritual performance and video,
culminating in a participatory “Rebirth” performance, participants reconnected
with the healing power of nature.

Day 1 – Arrival & Informal Welcome

Participants arrived at Aegina Port and checked into the LaLiBay Hotel. The evening
opened with an informal welcome by the waterfront at Panagitsa Beach, followed by
dinner at the seafront restaurant Manitas sto Kyma.

Day 2 – TRUST Project Meeting

The consortium held two working sessions to advance the project, covering final-stage
finances, the TRUST e-book and online course, and a review of art therapy results
ahead of the European exhibition tour.

The day closed with a guided walking tour of Aegina’s historic harbour and a shared
dinner at NOA Restaurant.

Day 3 – Opening & Eco-Art Therapy in Nature

The festival opened with welcome remarks from Claudio Marques and Fokion Dimitriadis
(EPIONI), followed by keynotes on the evidence for arts in health and wellbeing
from WHO specialists.

Participants then joined the “Nature Within” poetry and eco-mindfulness workshop,
and the “Rebirth” land art workshop on Marathonas Beach.

The day closed with the “Healing with the Sea” ritual performance, a sunset concert
by the Estoudiantina of Aegina, and a social dinner.

Day 4 – Museums, Movement & Craft

Participants visited the Kapralos Museum for rotating workshops in movement and poetry
around sculpture, and collage, followed by the pottery workshop
“Sculpture & Mental Health: Molding the Inner World.”

The afternoon included an optional visit to the Temple of Aphaia, closing with
dinner and a Playback Theatre performance.

Day 5 – Final Performance & Farewell

The programme culminated in rehearsals and the participatory performance
“Rebirth – Video Poetry Performance,” curated by Elena Zervopoulou, followed
by a post-evaluation and a farewell dinner at Fish Tavern Remetzo in Perdika.

“More than a series of workshops, these days in Aegina created a space of connection,
expression and healing, reconnecting participants with nature and with one another.
The TRUST project reminds us that art can be a bridge, and that healing is possible
when we create together.”

🇺🇦 ATP IV — Poltava, Ukraine

31 August – 3 September 2026

From 31 August to 3 September 2026, TRUST partners were welcomed at the National
University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic,” combining institutional work
sessions with a three-day programme of art therapy workshops for those affected
by the war in Ukraine.

Through canistherapy, clay art, textile collage and traditional craft, culminating
in the performance “Cranes of Peace and Hope,” participants explored healing as
a guarantee of peace.

Partners from Belgium, Ukraine and Portugal attended on site, while colleagues
from Luxembourg, Italy and Greece connected remotely.

Day 1 – Institutional Work Sessions

The day began with registration and a welcome for participants, followed by the
official opening with WP1, WP2 and WP3 work sessions, a coffee break, and a dialogue
panel with the university administration.

After lunch, the consortium continued with WP4 and WP5 discussions and audit
preparation, before a campus and Science Museum tour, a culinary workshop making
traditional Poltava galushka, and a closing dinner with Ukrainian bandura music.

Day 2 – Clay, Wax & the City of Poltava

Participants opened the day with the “My mood today” exercise, followed by the
“Painting a Clay Crane” and “Beeswax Candle Making” workshops.

The afternoon included a walking tour of the historic city centre and a visit
to I. Kotlyarevsky’s estate, closing with a dinner introducing Poltava’s
culinary traditions.

Day 3 – Textiles, Family & Reflection

The day opened with the “What colour is my mood today?” exercise and the
“Wings Home” textile collage workshop, followed by the art therapy workshop
“Family Tree from Heart to Heart.”

Participants then met with psychologists from the State Emergency Service to
exchange experience, and visited the Panas Myrny Museum for a traditional
woodblock-printing workshop, before a closing dinner.

Day 4 – Final Performance

On the last day, participants prepared and rehearsed the closing art installation,
culminating in the final art performance “Cranes of Peace and Hope” in the
university courtyard.

The visit concluded with a farewell dinner and a shared reflection on the days together.

“More than a series of workshops, this mobility to Poltava created a space of
solidarity, creativity and healing for those affected by the war, laying the
foundations for long-term collaboration. The TRUST project reminds us that art
can be a bridge, and that healing is possible when we create together.”

The Journey Continues

All four Art Therapy Performances feed into the project’s European e-book,
Hybrid MOOC, documentary film, and final art installation in Belgium —
a lasting tribute to the resilience of those affected by the war in Ukraine.