The first Painting with Parkinsons class was held on Monday 4 November 1994 in the Banks building, Botanic Gardens, and has been meeting there continuously ever since.
Co-ordinated by visual artists Nancy Tingey and John Pratt throughout that time the program brings in artists from other disciplines to encourage participants to relax and express themselves with art materials.

As early as 1995 they were working with music therapists and now there is a creative partnership with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra whose musicians come along once month to inspire creative art work. Musicians say they love playing for the group as they get an immediate response with artists being inspired to start painting as soon as the music starts whereas normally they have to wait until they stop playing to be clapped!

In 1997 sculptor Peter Latona facilitated group poems and since then poetry has became an important part of the program, with art work often being triggered by particular words. After a reading of Keats' 'Wild Swans at Coole' by Nancy's friend Maggie, an actor visiting from England in 2011, participant Katrina Muir's painting of swans became the poster image for the GOLD (Growing Old Disgracefully) performance 'Baroque Flock' at the Belconnen Arts Centre. The School of Music Poets, then run by Hazel Hall become involved and led to the exhibition Painting with Poetry being held at the Strathnairn Arts Centre in 2013 featuring poetry and painting.

Performers include:

Peter Jones - music therapist
? (to be confirmed) from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Peter Latona - poet
Jill Sutton - violinist and poet
Hazel Hall - poet 
Amelia Fielden - poet
Moya Pacey - poet
Janne Graham - poet
Marjorie Crombie 
Carolyn Milner 
Roberta Turner

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