Volunteer Voices
OOSOOM happens with the efforts of many people, including volunteers who bring their time, experience, energy, care, passion, friendliness, presence and more.
They enable the exhibition to be the best it can be. They can be found moving artworks, painting, folding, fixing, sweeping, chatting, joking, welcoming exhibitors and visitors. Most of all they increase the sense and strength of the unique community that forms during the time of the exhibition, and it would not be the same without them.
There were twenty-six volunteers that joined the team for set up and invigilation 2025, eight of them share their perspectives below.
My volunteer perspective…
I am an art student and ex mental health nurse. I also have experience of mental health issues both personally and among family members.
I found out about the festival and the OOSOOM exhibition on social media so offered my help as I want to support the work they do in championing mental health and wellbeing and I wanted to get some behind the scenes experience in helping with an art exhibition.
I was welcomed with open arms and really felt valued, immediately taken in and accepted as one of the team.
I am really appreciative of the experience I've gained, I know that I will be able to put this to good use and it was truly awesome to see such effort and genuineness put into this exhibition, the variety and quality of the work really blew me away, and in such an iconic venue.
There are clearly many, many people who work hard towards this annual event. I hope to be able to help again in the future.
My volunteer perspective…
As a student art therapist, I was recommended the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition by our lecturer and visited it last year. Everyone is so creative and talented in using art to share how they have experienced mental health challenges. I related to it and got inspired by the artworks there, so I decided to join this year. Joining the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition means a lot to me especially as a trainee art therapist, as I have seen how art is so powerful in expressing, releasing, and healing. I believe this exhibition offers an opportunity for people to share their stories through art and raises the public awareness of the importance of mental wellbeing. I also joined the volunteer work this year, so I really appreciate all the efforts and hard work done by the OOSOOM team, where I see how they have worked with passion, empathy, and love. I hope OOSOOM can continue to do the great job and help more people care about mental health!
My volunteer perspective…
Volunteering provided me with a sense of purpose, and this really helps with my confidence as I often find it incredible difficult to break my often-negative routines. The team helped me combat feelings of isolation and allowed me to feel more connected in a safe and trusting environment, where I was able to learn new skills that has helped support my current Fine Art Degree.
The exhibition means the world to me. It is truly transforming and inspirational as both an artist and someone who suffers from the often-debilitating effects of intrusive thoughts and anxiety. When I first attended an Out of Sight Out of Mind (OOSOOM) exhibition it took me over three hours of walking by the entrance to build up the courage to walk through the front door. I have previously attended Cognitive Behavioural Therapy privately, but could no longer afford it and through sheer will and the determination of putting into practice some of the lessons I had learnt I decided instead of hiding away and heading back to my GP, to walk in and visit an exhibition by artists that were struggling and dealing with mental health experiences like myself.
Walking in, I was just about to change my mind and leave when I was approached by a member of the team (Monique) who was also exhibiting, this changed everything for me, from frozen with fear, I felt secure, safe, inspired and most importantly not alone. Empowered by our conversation and the incredible narratives of the artworks, once home I wrote to (Pam) Art as Advocacy Manager, who took the time to respond and encourage me with some research I was working on as part of a Fine Art Degree. These interactions have inspired me to look at the wider picture of how OOSOOM is engaging people in conversations and artworks, that can be challenging, emotive and raw but that ultimately brings us together. Making the experience of mental health more visible and supporting our underfunded health networks by positively advocating for improved mental health awareness through the arts.
This year I am incredibly proud to be a part of the powerful, 'Comfort & Disturb' canvas wall installation, and had the opportunity to volunteer and be a part of this community. This has not only had a measurable impact on my own life by combating loneliness, engaging and learning from others, as well as giving me more confidence to get out, but its creative foundation engages those with mental health issues, and this ability to support us live, work and survive on a daily basis is phenomenally supportive.
My volunteer perspective…
It feels good to be a small part of team doing this work to give voice to hundreds of hidden and vulnerable artists. The value of the OOSOOM project is huge: Participation, purpose, and platform, for those that so often lack all of these. Direction for those adrift. Visibility for the hidden. But equally, for me, the project is about providing mutual support and comradeship – a real community and a sense of belonging to something so worthwhile for founders, organisers, artists, and volunteers. I think it is a life saver.
My volunteer perspective…
I really felt that OOSOOM is an incredibly energetic and women-friendly team. Everyone I met was so kind and supportive. The three days of volunteering were not only full of meaningful tasks, but also full of learning. I realised that organising OOSOOM is an enormous undertaking with 395 artists involved, bringing all their work into Summerhall is no small task. I could feel the passion and strength of the team behind every detail.
On the final day of my shift, just before we wrapped up, one artwork needed to be rehung because it was accidentally installed upside down. We had to use a ladder and tools like a hammer. I helped by passing nails and assisting where I could. I suddenly noticed that everyone working on this task was a woman, and it made me reflect on how empowering that was. It was a job often stereotyped as “men’s work,” but here it was being done skilfully and confidently by women. It left a deep impression on me.
Although my time as a volunteer was just three days, I feel truly inspired. Please help me extend my thanks to the entire team and especially to you. Your warmth and guidance felt like that of an older sister so patient and supportive.
My volunteer perspective…
Inspiration:
Being part of a skilled team of salaried and volunteer professionals. This includes preparation, set up and exposure to curating an art show as well as participating in events such as the opening, invigilation and closing of the show.
A break away from the mundane.
Experiencing and feeling joy when life is uphill.
Expression:
From first marks to graduate school and everything in between and beyond.
Being among artists (making art is often a solitary endeavour).
What we see at Summerhall is the tip of an iceberg. It follows months of work by a gifted Planning Group and a host of volunteers.
Resilience:
A sense of purpose, an event which gives meaning to unvoiced experience(s).
Hearing from artists about their process preparing and being part of the show.
At the grassroots of a liminal art world in the city of traditional galleries and events.
Compassion:
An opportunity to step out, to be (quietly) seen, received and valued.
A safe space: a challenging, busy space with quiet corners if needed; a space where one does not need to pretend.
A sense of belonging. Working shoulder to shoulder differs from the face to face encounters we at OOSOOM all attend whether for support or in the struggle for self-advocacy.
My volunteer perspective…
This is my first time volunteering with CAPS Advocacy and also for exhibiting artwork into the OOSOOM exhibition. I have been an audience attendee of OOSOOM for at least seven years. I didn't think I would have put artwork into it but I became a service user of the Lothian Voices group in 2023 and the peer support, friendship, learning, inspiration, respect and empowerment I experienced was really wonderful. Although I no longer attend due to work commitments I keep in touch and made a couple of friends there too.
I work in the third sector in Edinburgh, in mental health community engagement and advocacy, the OOSOOM exhibition is a community creating creative event, activity, peer support, open inclusive and non-judgemental place in the calendar of mental health engagement and expression. Invigilating this year on Saturday afternoons has been heart warming and every attendee I've chatted with (brief or long) has shared what the exhibition or a piece of artwork means to them and brings a connection to them. I'm very happy to be involved and ask you to reflect on a moment when you felt seen and heard and welcomed. It is a really important part of being you and OOSOOM represents this enormously and incredibly.
My volunteer perspective…
Volunteering for OOSOOM has greatly benefitted my own mental health and wellbeing. I’ve found it very rewarding to play a small part in a project with such a large impact on its community. I’ve genuinely enjoyed witnessing that impact first-hand when interacting with the art, the artists, and all the lovely people involved.
My volunteer perspective…
I have been an exhibitor at the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition, (OOSOOM) for the eighth time and it is my seventh time invigilating too. This exhibition is in its thirteenth year and every year, the planning team and Summerhall staff excel in putting up a thought provoking, moving, challenging, beautiful and inspiring exhibition, so wonderfully curated. A lot of time, preparation and love goes into making all the art work look their best. None of the art pieces have ever been turned down over the years. Everyone gets an opportunity to exhibit their work. Everything is handled with the utmost care. OOSOOM is one of the biggest mental health Arts exhibitions in the whole of the UK. If not the only exhibition of its kind. It has proven to be very popular over the years, receiving good revues from both exhibitors and visitors. And Summerhall is the perfect venue to showcase the exhibition. Not only that, it is a necessity for the communities in Scotland that would otherwise be overlooked. I am thinking of the people in remote parts of the country, like the isles and the very far North. Various groups that have been marginalised and have been invisible for a long time with few opportunities, are invited to participate, and become more visible. This isn’t just an Arts exhibition, it is a manifesto, an invitation to give people voices and the tools to express themselves in a unique way, to be heard, to be acknowledged and certainly NOT to be silenced. I would like to see the exhibition going on for many many years to come.
What always stays with me, are the conversations with the people affected – past and present- who finally felt they have been given a platform to vocalise the mental health challenges they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. How hard it is to do mundane things and keep healthy and well. The pandemic had its own set of challenges and sadly added more distress which led to people being isolated for long periods of time. The OOSOOM team took all this in consideration and created an online community via Zoom and people who couldn’t visit due to the restrictions, were able to see the exhibitions online. This opportunity given was not taken lightly by the exhibitors either and was very well received.
A few visitors I spoke with in previous years told me how I inspired them to become an exhibitor themselves. They loved how open and honest I was in sharing my own mental health journey. The feeling is mutual. I listened to very touching stories of people who lost their loved ones and how they found the strength to honour them and start up a support group for others in the same position. That is what this exhibition is all about: an interaction within the communities of people who struggle with poor mental health and professionals in the health sector, but really everyone who can relate to it. Less stigma and more transparency and awareness around Mental Health and wellbeing.
Life in itself is challenging enough and this exhibition has grown more and more over the years reaching more and more people who are marginalised with nowhere to go. There is a lot of gratitude and appreciation for the team (and the Summerhall staff stand by) I think the OOSOOM is a true success story and we need to keep communicating as poor mental health affects us all in society. Please secure funding for the exhibition to continue.
ID: A person is seen from behind painting a white wall with a paint roller stood on light blue dust sheets with a paint bucket and paint tray.