INTRODUCTION

Chronology

1993 Attilia Cossio founded art therapy group for Parkinson’s in Monza, Italy.

1994 Nancy Tingey founded Painting with Parkinsons in Canberra, Australia.

1995 Tingey awarded Churchill Fellowship to study art as a therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

1996 Tingey travelled from Australia to Italy, Switzerland, Holland, England, Scotland, Canada and USA to report on art as therapy developments relevant to Parkinson’s.

1996-1999 Lectures, publications, television and radio coverage advertise Painting with Parkinsons and help establish groups in Adelaide, Hobart and Melbourne.

Twenty exhibitions curated in Canberra, three travelling to Perth, Hobart and New Zealand.

Brief of Painting with Parkinsons extended to include sculpture, silkpainting, printmaking, yoga, T’ai Chi, sound and music therapy. Meetings held weekly in the Joseph Banks building, Australian National Botanic Gardens, funded by national, local and private institutions.

1997 Attilia Cossio visited Australia as a guest lecturer in art therapy, sponsored by Painting with Parkinsons.

1999- to present Painting with Parkinsons continues, led by artist and facilitator John Pratt assisted by Roberta Turner and several supporting professional staff and volunteers.

1999 Nancy Tingey gave workshops at the EPDA (European Parkinson’s Disease Society) conference in Eindhoven, Holland.

2000 Art for Parkinson’s pilot trial in Shrewsbury for the Parkinson’s Disease Society. Project featured in The Parkinson magazine.

Workshops held at the YAPP&RS (Young Alert Parkinson’s partners & Relatives) conference in Peterborough.

2001 Workshops held at the PINK (Parkinson’s Nurses Information Network) conference in Coventry. Follow-up Art for Parkinson’s course held in Shrewsbury, funded by the local branch. Workshops held at the Parkinson’s Holiday in Blackpool.

ITV broadcast program about Art for Parkinson’s on Bodytalk.

2002 Publication by Brunner-Routledge, Arts Therapies and Progressive Illness - Nameless Dread, edited by Diane Waller with chapters by Attilia Cossio and Nancy Tingey.

Parkinson’s Disease Society CREATE IT Millenium Award Scheme

winner Andy Daly sponsored to promote Art for Parkinson’s.

Formation of the West Cumbria Parkinson’s art group.

2003 First exhibition in England of work arising out of the Painting with Parkinsons and Art for Parkinson’s programs, titled Catalyst held at the Penny School Gallery, Kingston College, London. Workshops and art therapy seminar complement the exhibition.

Art for Parkinson’s website set up by Andy Daly.

2005 Workshops held at the Parkinson’s Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne.

2006 Presentation on Art as a Therapy for Parkinson’s by Nancy Tingey at the First World Parkinson Congress in Washington DC.

2007 Anne Atkin founded Painting with Parkinsons groups in Melbourne for which she won the City of Casey Volunteer of the Year 2009 award for services to people with disabilities through art.

2008 The film, Making a Mark, art as a therapy for Parkinson's, produced by Just Wright Productions, Melbourne.