Last year, we opened the art&therapy exhibition at Gallery Studio 21 and asked what art can do for us. This year, we’re flipping the question: what happens when you make the art yourself?
The second edition of art& brings five free art therapy workshops for five different groups of participants, followed by a group exhibition of their work. There are no tickets, no prerequisites and, most importantly, no grades.
From looking to making
The first edition took its cue from Alain de Botton and John Armstrong’s Art as Therapy. They argue that we should approach art not through styles and periods, but through what it does for us: it helps us remember, hope, grieve with dignity and understand ourselves better. That’s exactly how we selected the works of seven artists.
This year, the audience steps to the other side of the frame. Instead of watching art work on other people, you get to feel how it works on you, while it takes shape in your own hands.
No, you don’t need to know how to draw
It’s the question we hear most, so here’s the answer upfront: art therapy is not an art class. Nobody grades talent or technique, and there’s no such thing as an “ugly” drawing here. The process is what matters: what you felt, what you remembered, what surprised you. The finished piece is almost a side effect.
The workshops are led by Vesna Filaković, a teacher and university specialist in art therapy with more than twenty years of professional experience. Each workshop has its own theme and technique adapted to the group, and ends with a conversation about what was made.
(Honest and important: the workshops offer creative expression in a safe setting, but they are not a substitute for psychological or psychiatric care.)
Five workshops, five groups
All workshops take place on Saturdays from 10:15 to 12:40. The workshop itself runs from 10:30 to 12:30, with a short questionnaire before and after. Each workshop has seven places, and registration is required.
- 01 · 26 September · adults under 65: painting and drawing inspired by works from the art&therapy exhibition. Udruga Terrum. Register
- 02 · 3 October · seniors 65+: “An event or experience I’ll never forget”. Udruga Terrum. Register
- 03 · 10 October · primary school pupils, grades 5–8: superheroes. Udruga Terrum. Fully booked.
- 04 · 17 October · university students: “The flag of my identity”, a collage. Udruga Terrum. Register
- 05 · 24 October · members of the Spinal Cord Injury Association: “My safe place”. At the association’s premises. Fully booked.
Registered participants receive the exact address and instructions by email. Clicking “Going” on Facebook is not a registration; the form is the only way to sign up.
Why the questionnaires?
We want to know what actually happens in these workshops, not just what we’d like to happen. The before-and-after questionnaires are part of an interdisciplinary collaboration with Dr Marjana Milanović, MD, a psychiatrist at the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split (KBC Split). The results will form the basis of a professional paper on where art therapy sits between culture and healthcare, two sectors that honestly should talk to each other far more often.
The exhibition: 28 November – 5 December 2026
The workshops end, the work stays. From 28 November to 5 December 2026, participants’ work will be on show at Gallery Studio 21 (Velebitska 66, Split). The works are shown anonymously, with only a title, year and medium, because what matters here isn’t who made what, but what came into being.
We’ll announce the opening programme on this page soon.
Who’s behind the project
The project is organised by DLightful Services in partnership with Udruga za kulturu Beat / Gallery Studio 21, the Department of Psychiatry at University Hospital of Split, Udruga Terrum and the Spinal Cord Injury Association.
The project is supported by the City of Split.
Questions?
For questions or to cancel your registration, write to hello@dlightfulservices.com. For the seniors’ workshop, you can also contact dora@dlightfulservices.com directly. If you’ve registered but can’t make it, please let us know in time, because someone else is waiting for your place.
The project is funded by the City of Split.