Grangegorman Histories: ‘Change Minds: Archives, Art and Mental Health’
‘Change Minds’ is a transformative archival adventure for people from Norfolk in the UK, who live with mental health conditions and are on low incomes, carers, volunteers and staff. Researching two digitised nineteenth century Norfolk county asylum case books at Norfolk Record Office and Norwich Millennium Library, Change Minds engages local people and online visitors in the stories it reveals during a fascinating investigation into local heritage, mental health and identity.
On 15 January 2021, Grangegorman Histories presented a webinar with Laura Drysdale, Director, Restoration Trust and Project Manager for Change Minds, Gary Tuson, Norfolk County Archivist and Change Minds Partner, and Richard Johnson, Research Coordinator and Change Minds member, chaired by Ruth Hegarty, Managing Editor, Royal Irish Academy and member of the Grangegorman Histories Working Group. They introduced this transformative programme, and described their current Change Minds project, Dr Hills’ Casebook. The discussion explored the impact, legacy and transformative potential of the project for people living with mental health conditions. Grangegorman Histories wishes to deliver a similar project in Dublin, accessing the records recovered from Grangegorman in the years before the hospital closure. This complete record, running continuously from 1814, is now restored and housed at our National Archives in Dublin.