Our Story

Dr Michelle Sanders, founder of Art & Soul, had a love for art and community development. She was involved in many community projects in many forms of painting and art. 

Art & Soul began in 2010, teaching people who suffer depression and anxiety to paint.

This is what Michelle had to say about the creation of the program:

Several years ago, I went through what I call ‘the dark time
’I know I can be a bit dramatic, but this period was dark. Work was so difficult; I became isolated from my friendships and basic functioning became extremely difficult.  This didn’t last for just a few weeks, or months, it went on for two years. It was during this time that I discovered painting and it changed my life. 

When I came through this time, I spoke with an artist friend and said, wouldn’t it be good if we could take what happened to me and teach others to do this. We began looking at different themes that were helpful for me during this time and put together Art & Soul.

In the first course 21 people attended and the process and tools helped them discover a new way of thinking and processing information. Since then, hundreds of people have gone through this course giving them new perspectives on themselves and their world.

Sadly, Michelle passed away in 2021. Her legacy continues with this amazing course, run by volunteers, who helped construct and run the program with her.