Nottingham Society of Artists (NSA) exhibiting member, Carole Ellis took part in a BBC Radio 5 Live podcast at their Media City studio in Manchester on 24th April 2024 on the subject of “You, Me and the Big C”. Carole and three other artists, a writer, comedian, and actor/playwright, shared their own cancer stories and talked candidly about their experiences and the value of art as therapy, diversion, and expression.
Carole received an award from The Arts Council, England, to produce a body of work on breast cancer and showcased the “Breast or Beast” * 37-piece portfolio at the NSA gallery in September 2022. Social media played a crucial role in the work being discovered by Dr Yousar Jafar, Consultant Radiologist at Nottingham City Hospital, leading to a commission for a large painting for the newly revamped waiting room. Dr Jafar subsequently secured funds from Nottingham University Hospitals Charity to refurbish the bland Radiology corridor and to purchase the entire Breast or Beast portfolio to adorn the walls. The permanent gallery in the Radiology corridor of the Breast Institute was officially opened on 20th December 2023.
Carole says, “The NSA has played a vital part in my artistic development – I went from having very real concerns about whether my creations were good enough, to receiving a huge vote of confidence from The Arts Council, to having a permanent gallery in Nottingham City hospital. I would urge anyone out there who doubts their artistic ability to take the leap, join the NSA and embrace all that it has to offer. There is a real sense of community, you will get a very warm welcome, have fun, and have the opportunity to get your creations in front of the public at one of the collective exhibitions.
Being invited to participate in the BBC 5 Live podcast was the cherry on the cake! The prospect of being involved personally in the podcast was thrilling, scary and exciting in equal measure, but the recording itself turned out to be calm and comfortable largely due to the warmth and vibrancy of the other guests*. I hope listeners find it reassuring, entertaining, and amusing and maybe feel a little less lonely about their own cancer journey.”
You can listen to it on all podcasting platforms:
Apple, Spotify, Google podcasts
BBC Sounds via web or app
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0608649
*Available to view on YouTube
**Allan Finnegan
Mark Jackson
Rosa Hesmondhalgh
