Joint Creativity: 10 Years in the Baking

Joint Creativity: 10 Years in the Baking is an exhibition displaying artwork created by young people living with arthritis. The theme for ‘10 years in the baking’ incorporates spoon theory, a way of explaining how people live with chronic illnesses like arthritis, with the deliciously sweet imagery of baking.

Joint Creativity began 10 years ago and is an art project run by Versus Arthritis. It is hosted as a part of residential trips and creative workshops which give young people with arthritis the opportunity to come together, get creative and learn more about their condition and self-management techniques. Over 70 spoons were created at Versus Arthritis Scotland’s art camp in November 2023, and this year young people in Northern Ireland, England and Wales were invited to join the project. All the spoons created by young people living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and related conditions across the UK will be displayed at Versus Arthritis’ “10 Years in the Baking” exhibition.

The exhibition marks this year’s annual World Young Rheumatic Diseases (WORD) Day, on Monday 18th March.

About Versus Arthritis

Over 10 million people in the UK have arthritis. That’s one in six living with the pain, fatigue and disability it can cause. Many more live with arthritis but remain undiagnosed, untreated and unsupported. The impact of arthritis can be huge yet for a condition affecting so many, far too little is done. Versus Arthritis, together with researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, supporters and volunteers, won’t rest until everyone with arthritis has access to the treatments and support they need to live the life they choose, with real hope of a cure in the future.

About juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis that occurs in people under the age of 16, where the body’s immune system becomes unbalanced and attacks the joints, causing pain, swelling and inflammation. People with autoimmune inflammatory arthritis need urgent intensive treatment to control and rebalance the immune system to reduce symptoms and prevent permanent damage to joints, pain and disability. An estimated 12,000 children live with JIA in the UK