See below for examples of some of our recent community projects in and around Sheffield. If you would like to hear more about what we can offer Community Groups and TARAs please contact Luisa on luisa@artinthepark.org.uk to arrange an informal chat about what we can do for you.
We ran a series of after school sessions for 13-17 year olds living in Stannington. We were contacted by Action for Stannington, a community forum, who wanted some positive activities for the young people in the area. Artist Anneke ran sessions focussing on identities and portraits.
We were contacted by the Friends of Norfolk Heritage Park to be part of an event to celebrate International Women's Day. They wanted a variety of activities for women, that play on the strengths of women in Sheffield and arund the world. Artist Anneke used glass painting to create mobiles while artist Karen created a patchwork woman, pieced together from individual patches made by the participants. We also provided a henna artist on the day.
The workshops took place in the Centre in the Park, and the work is now displayed there. This is a great example of the work Art in the Park can bring to a community setting. Participants who had never met each other before were brought together in a safe and welcoming environment to create collaborative work. The individual pieces of the mobiles and wall hangings were brought together skillfully by the artists, and remain as a lasting legacy of the event.
Informal adult art and crafts, November to April 2010
Art Bytes is an informal adult learning project run across Sheffield. It was a series of free art and craft sessions run by artists that have been open to anyone. Activities have included paper making, photography, tie dye, textiles, mosaics and watercolour. The project has worked with over 50 people in seven different community settings. These included a group with Mental Health needs, a Pakistani Muslim group and a group of adults with learning disabilities.
During the sessions, learners used photos and videos to record the techniques that were used, and these have been put online as a resource for anyone to use and try new things.
The groups were invited on one of two trips to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. These allowed people who haven’t been there before to meet one another and explore contemporary art in an outdoor setting.
An account from one of our volunteers Charlie Hill: On dark winter evenings I cycled every week to a little nursery where artist Lindsey lead art and craft workshops in Winn Gardens. There were different projects each week such as printing,painting,sculpture,sock puppets and bird boxes and introducing contemporary artists such as Banksy to the group. We established good relationships with the children and they demanded an extension of the club! This was great news and made possible with extra funding from Art in the Park. The club felt particularly special because I got to know the children and could see them grow in confidence, improving their skills in art and also becoming more confident within the group.
The experience of Winn Gardens highlighted what valuable work after school clubs like this can do in areas that lack financial support. Having recently revisited the club it was fabulous to hear that an older participant wanted to volunteer with Art in the Park in the future! This is an important part of community arts engaging and inspiring young people.