Meet Barbara
BARBARA SALSBERG MATHEWS has been creating art since she was a child. While in her teens, she wrote and illustrated two children’s books published by Annick Press. She studied mime in Paris, France, and had a touring mime company. Barbara graduated with honours from Ontario College of Art [OCADU], earned her M.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and taught visual and dramatic arts in high schools for over 25 years. Since retiring as Head of Visual Art from Toronto Board’s Northern Secondary School, Barbara now lives with her husband in Guelph where she does volunteer work and continues to make art. In 2020 Barbara was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She’s now using mime as a therapeutic tool to help others living with Parkinson’s to manage the symptoms. You may learn more about Barbara and her work at MimeOverMind.com – and – salsbergmathews.com.
BARBARA’S PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
Parkinson’s has taught me how precious life is. I’m aware of my diminishing time and energy to get things done. So I’ve gotten rid of negative people in my life. I focus on today and what I can leave behind. If I hear good music playing, you can be sure I’ll be dancing to it. Parkinson’s can’t stop me from dancing!
Barbara’s Mission
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in January 2020. It took me some time to accept this diagnosis. I finally made sense out of this by realizing that I am not my disease. I am a person with Parkinson’s and I aim to live life fully. While I still have the energy and motivation, I’m committed to spreading the word about using mime as a therapeutic tool to help people with Parkinson’s disease. I don’t do this for fame or fortune, as I don’t care about that. For me, it’s all about what I can leave behind, hopefully improving the quality of day-to-day lives for people like me, with Parkinson’s.
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Meet our Advisory Committee
REBECCA BARNSTAPLE (PhD Dance Studies; Graduate Program in Neuroscience 2020, York University) is the Manager of Community Initiatives, Research and Innovation at Centre Communautaire Chigamik Community Health Centre, Midland, Ontario, and an IICSI Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Guelph. A graduate of the National Centre for Dance Therapy at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (2015), she provides education and training in dance therapy and associated research globally. She has been involved in the development and delivery of improvisational arts and health initiatives in the United States (IMPROVment, Wake Forest University) and Canada (SingWell, Toronto Metropolitan University; Piece of Mind, McGill; Dance for Health, Nova Scotia) and serves in a leadership capacity for professional organizations including the Dance Movement Therapy Association of Canada (Accreditation and Certification Committee), the American Dance Therapy Association (Research and Practice Committee), and the International Association of Dance Medicine Science (International Benchmarking Standards Task Force, Dance for Health Committee). Rebecca directs the Research to Practice Lab for ZOE School of Dance Movement Therapy in Basel, Switzerland.
GREG PINKS is a lifelong learner in the intersection of the individual and their community. Within the “work community,” Greg has translated this interest to the field of employee engagement. Holding a Master of Industrial Relations from Queen’s University and certified as an Executive Coach by the International Coach Federation, Greg serves as the Chief Leadership Officer at Axiom Performance. Within the communities in which we live, Greg has had a special interest in how the arts contribute to social well-being. As such, he has sat on various boards and advisory committees focusing on performing arts, city-wide cultural integration, and visual arts.
It was at the Guelph Arts Council that Greg met Barbara Salsberg Mathews and was immediately drawn to her passion for the arts and for giving back to the community. He continues to act as a juror for Barbara’s annual Pay It Forward Arts Fund and is fascinated by the positive intersection between arts such as mime and human health. Greg lives with his family in Guelph, Ontario.
THERESA DALY is a retired nurse and social worker who spent the bulk of her career providing counselling and education to older adults and their caregivers. In her work, Theresa was committed to supporting individuals and families to cope with a sudden or chronic illness (Dementia, Parkinson’s, Stroke). She found the role of “system navigator” most rewarding when she could help people find the best care from an increasingly large and fragmented health care system.
After retiring from paid work, Theresa volunteered as facilitator for the Guelph Wellington Parkinson Support Group and the Caregiver Support Group, for 10 years. For her efforts she was delighted to be awarded Woman of Distinction in 2022.Theresa continues to support the PD community “behind the scenes” now by working with Parkinson Canada and the Guelph Family Health Team to improve overall care for people with PD in Guelph & Wellington County. Theresa is delighted to be a part of Mime Over Mind’s Advisory Committee.
DOROTHY FISHER is a retired educator who enjoyed an exciting, ever learning 33-year career in Business Studies and Co-operative Education. In her pursuit of encouraging youth to gain their full potential, she acquired extensive experience in administration, counselling and theatre production.
A strong advocate for the status of women and children, she has volunteered with Women in Crisis, Zonta International and Canadian Federation of University Women.
In retirement, Dorothy became fully engaged as an arts advocate. In addition, she gained extensive experience in Not-for-Profit board governance, fundraising, and stage management. She enjoys her continuing volunteer activities with the Guelph Arts Council, the River Run Centre, Guelph Dance, Guelph Chamber Choir and the Guelph Symphony Orchestra. Most recently she is active with Parkn’ Dance – a therapy program based on dance for people with Parkinsons.
Increasingly sensitive to the importance of community engagement, Dorothy is always looking for ways to support and improve the lives of our Guelph community.
All profit from Mime Over Mind is gifted to Parkinson’s Disease charitable organizations.