A new and exciting community project is beginning to take shape. After a chance meeting at an event, I was approached to put together a proposal for an intergenerational community arts project for the Sale West estate in South Manchester. A few months down the line and Stories in the Shadows is here! Working with members of the community we are aiming to create an animated film celebrating 40 years of the estate, telling the stories and remembrances of the residents. St Margaret's RC Primary made a fantastic start last week when I spent a whole day with the children working together to create shadow puppets to perform the stories revealed by their parents and grandparents through interviews. Next up will be two Community Fun Days at the Sale West Community Centre on the 3rd and 10th of August where visitors will be able to record their memories and have a go at creating a shadow animation. Take a look at our twitter and facebook pages for more information and to tell us your stories!
It has been a busy couple of weeks so this is a belated post about the final weekend of the ReVisit series of workshops at the Haworth Art Gallery. On a sultry and sunny Sunday in Accrington we took the making outside for a celebratory picnic. We dressed up the beautiful greenery in the garden with some of the things we had made during the sessions including, butterflies, garlands and kaleidoscopes which caught the light and sparkled. I'd like to say a big thank you to all of the families that came along to the sessions and are now looking at plastic bottles in a new creative way!
Almost a month since the Nite Sights event kicked off my community engagement project at the Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington, and what a lot of plastic bottles have been collected, cleaned and transformed into glittering jewel-like objects! Visitors have created a beautiful window installation, kaleidoscopic viewfinders, butterfly garden decorations and shining garlands. I've met some lovely families and been thoroughly welcomed to 'Accy'.
There are two more chances to take part in the project on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June from 1-4pm. If the sun shines on the Sunday we'll even take the activities outside into the gallery's beautiful gardens so bring along a picnic and help us to create a glittering sculpture garden! Visit the ReVisit website for more information.
On Friday a Night Sites event for Museums at Night kicked off the ReVisit project at the Haworth Art Gallery and weekend full of creative workshops.
Stuart Haygarth's magical new sculptural installation Igloo was unveiled and I hosted Kaleidoscope; in which hundreds of plastic bottle bases were painted in jewel colours to create a growing window installation. As well as getting creative visitors enjoyed bright mocktail drinks served from a very kitsch cocktail fountain in homage to Stuart's wonderful piece!
By closing time on Sunday many hands had worked together to create a delicate piece that sits in a room full of precious Tiffany glass. This is just the start of a programme of workshops that run until the end of June. Visit the Creativity Works site for more information on how to get involved.
On Friday I went to the Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington to explore the Tiffany glass collection for the ReVisit series of workshops. The collection is beautiful, I particularly liked the way that the objects had been displayed on light boxes. The soft diffuse light made the colours shine like jewels. I think I'll draw upon this and fashion my own light box to display the objects we create during the workshops. I also want to utilise the wonderful window spaces in the gallery to create a naturally illuminated installation.I had chance to discuss my ideas with Yvonne Robins from the Haworth and Laura Rodgers from Creativity Works who have commissioned the project. The plans that are emerging are really exciting. The project kicks off on Friday 13th May with the Museums at Night event. All are welcome to come to the gallery from 6-7.30pm to contribute to a growing installation of kaleidoscopic bottle bases. There are also grand plans to create a kitsch multicoloured mocktail bar complete with a light-up drinks fountain! Co-ordinating art and refreshments, brilliant!
Excitingly I've recently been commissioned for a community engagement project at the Haworth Art Gallery in Lancashire. The gallery has a stunningly special collection of Tiffany glass and is currently working with one of my favourite artists Stuart Haygarth to commission a brand new sculptural installation for the historic Arts and Crafts building. Haygarth uses found and reclaimed objects in fascinating ways to create functional and decorative design objects.I've been given the task of planning and delivering a series of workshops that invite the public into the Haworth to creatively engage with the collection and Stuart's work. In my own work I have an ongoing fascination for pattern and glowing colour so expect something kaleidoscopic and bright inspired by millefiori and stained glass! Watch this space for more information about my research and the ReVisit workshop programme as it develops.
Since last September I have been working on a project in partnership with the Richmond Fellowship and PSS to deliver creative art sessions for people experiencing mental health difficulties. Over two ten week projects the group have bonded over their shared creativity and have named themselves the Kaleidoscope Collective. I have thoroughly enjoyed leading the weekly sessions which have covered a variety of techniques including monoprinting and ink drawing.
This Friday sees the culmination of a project in response to the Underwater exhibition held at the Bluecoat. The group have worked incredibly hard to create personal projects and artworks using a variety of different media including printmaking, sculpture and animation. Their exhbition In Too Deep is open to the public on the 19th and 20th March and is held at the Bluecoat, Liverpool.
A new and exciting community project is beginning to take shape. After a chance meeting at an event, I was approached to put together a proposal for an intergenerational community arts project for the Sale West estate in South Manchester. A few months down the line and Stories in the Shadows is here! Working with members of the community we are aiming to create an animated film celebrating 40 years of the estate, telling the stories and remembrances of the residents. 
