Cameras Capture Co-operative Art

It seems a rose tinted memory now, picture the sense, June,  a balmy day blows blossom onto the bustling streets of Rochdale.  An animated crowd gather in eager anticipation, then wham, bam, yes you can!  The people of Rochdale come together to create an amazing piece of public art to celebrate Co-operatives Fortnight.

Those of you who regularly follow the blog you may remember reading about this exciting event back in June, you may have even picked up a pastel and taken part yourself, but to those of you who missed out on this fun filled afternoon don’t panic!  I can now exclusively show the film (created by Peace Effects Media) made to celebrate the co-operative collection of participators who took part in the event.

So dim your light, grab your pop-corn and share in our Co-operaitve Fortnight event by watching 60 seconds of show stopping art creation.  Enjoy!

*HUGE thanks go to Peace Effects Media for creating the film and the pupils and staff at Alice Ingham Primary School for giving permission for the film to be used on the blog.

Kentmere Kids Prove a Challenge to the Roman Masters

We all know those Romans were a productive lot, while the Celts were busy applying the mud and manure to their out houses the Romans were busy creating geometric stone walls, taking part in vigorous army training and creating marvellous mosaics.  

But, in truth, were their designs as animated and colourful as the kids’ from Kentmere?  I think not!

Because this week, inspired by the lifestyles of their industrious iron age forefathers, Kentmere pupils slaved over four fantastic Roman mosaics.  The masterpieces will be displayed in their new school building, due to open in January 2011.

After an animated assembly introducing the topic, I received over 50 entries from the creative key stage two, each depicting elements of Roman life.  From shiny sword and shields to fruit bowls filled with ripening fruit, the pupils designed picture representing their understanding of Roman life.  Many of their designs were then transferred onto four huge mosaic boards key stage two all helped transform into colourful caricatures from the past.

It took a whole week of smashing, crashing and creating, but by Friday the hard work had finally paid off as the children put the finishing touches to their magnificent mosaics.  Never have I had the pleasure to work with such animated, enthusiastic pupils and I’m looking forward to putting the grout between the lines to unveil their amazing Art.Works.

And good news!  I’m chuffed to bits to be back at Kentmere very soon indeed.  I start my ‘artist in residency ‘in October and can’t wait to get imagining and  inventing once again to create some sumptuous designs with the pupils to make their new school sparkle.

Interested in having your very own artist in residence?  Or creating a mosaic with your group?  Just drop me a line to find out more.

Falinge Comes Alive with Art

Ever used the phrase ‘come up against a brick wall’ and felt frustrated, fruitlessly lacking inspiration? Not the people of Falinge!  They saw their brick wall as a creative opportunity, quite literally!
So I was pleased as punch when they invited Art.Works to come on board and make their creative ideas a reality.

Over the summer months Lower Falinge Housing Estate has been awash with poster paints, sticky palettes and plywood as six community groups from the estate got to work transforming a dull brick wall into an animated artistic space.

Over the course of eight weeks each group designed and painted three gigantic murals to represent their groups’ ethos.  From scurrying rabbits on a veg patch to a football match on an urban kick-pitch each group created amazingly unique art works which positively gleam in the late summer sun.

So, what kind of funky designs did each group come up with?  In no particular order:
L play: a comic strip illustrating a monster on the run from the mischievous kids, look out behind you!

Women’s Group: inspired by the paintings of Beryl Cook, a beautiful painting of their group enjoying a arts session on the estate, also featuring Percy the Cat!

Boy’s Group: an amazing mix media mural featuring football photos, speeding cars and towering skyscrapers

Girl’s Group: stimulated by Andy Warhol a photo-montage of their beautiful faces block printed and painted so brightly they make Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe look comparably dowdy!

Gardening Group: an animated illustration of their allotment including squirrels, foxes and even chickens! So meticulously painted it could have come straight out of a children’s picture book!

Young Wardens: all the kids of the world celebrate! The young warden’s design commemorates the vitality different cultures bring to Lower Falinge Estate.

Thursday 26th August 2010 saw the launch of the murals, now perfectly placed on Cartmel, Lower Falinge.  The launch was attended by each group along with their friends and family.  There were many ‘oohs’ even more ‘wows’ and lots of looks of amazement as the artists showed off their talented display of work.

The afternoon was brought to life with the Dancing Group’s performance along with face painting, henna painting, a bouncy castle and scrummy cakes.  A fantastic finale to a fabulous project on Falinge.
If you’re passing through Rochdale so make sure you check out the group’s work: Cartmel, Lower Falinge, OL12 6RQ

Middleton’s Youth Make Mosaics

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure for a big surprise... in fact, you’ll have four!  Four huge ceramic tile surprises no less!  Because the youth of Middleton have been working hard to spruce up their woodland and park to create four awesome mosaics to make their estate sparkle.


On 27^th, 29^th and 30^th July over 20 kids from local youth groups Burnside and Riverside came together on a mission; to make mosaics illustrating the fantastic features of Truffet Park, Langley, and they came up trumps!


To kick start the project the kids took part in a creative nature trail around the park’s four key areas, collecting arty artifacts which might stimulate some smashing designs.  Back at the base kids worked well weaving their artifacts into their willow stick frames.  From bark rubbings to branches, wild flowers to baby frogs! (The frogs were quickly taken back to their habitat I hasten to add!), no artistic evidence was turned away until it had be analysed by the young artistic eyes.  


Inspired by the trail the kids then took part in the big draw, a mass picture making activity, the most vibrant observations captured down on paper.  One young warden said:


‘We found lots of baby frogs in the pond, I enjoyed collecting big strands of bull rush to draw in my picture’.


After an energetic health and safety talk ‘goggles on intrepid illustrators, these here tiles are as sharp as shark’s teeth!’, Thursday saw kids identifying their pictures in the mosaic designs, could you spot a bee buried in the wild flower meadow? Then one, two three and smash!  The hard work started with a bang, a crash, a wallop!  As each team member got hands on with their tiles and elbows high in adhesive, working together to form sensational displays for their park.  As eager young artist Aran suggested:
‘it’s like making a massive jigsaw, but this time we get to make the piece using the hammer, it’s great!’ glad you think so Aran, so do we!


By Friday morning the mosaics were well on their way thanks to the nibble fingered youngsters and, with one last surge of energy the pictures finally took shape.  Youth Worker Paula Amos from Burnside Community Centre noted:


‘The kids are really engaged, you’ve done a great job reaching some challenging kids.. They’re all working as a team, it’s good to see’.


So, a few finishing touches, a smothering of grout and this time next week Truffet Park will be proudly displaying four awesome artistic mosaics created by their estate’s own young hands.  As hard working Park Ranger (he also makes ‘well sick ham butties’ apparently!)Mike Cunningham said:


‘The mosaics will brighten up our park and the hard work of the kids has really paid off, we’re all looking forward to seeing them up and displayed’


I couldn’t agree more Mike, but hard work, nargh, it was just a walk in the park for those kids...

Wonderful Ways to Work Together.

Up and down the country, in and out of the streets the beginning of July buzzed with communities working together in the name of Co-operation.  To kick start the very first Co-operative’s Fortnight the country celebrated the success of common partnership through open studios, band nights, quirky videos, and yes, you guessed it, mass participation Art.Works. 

Eager to participate in this national first Art.Works created the most artistic of afternoons slap bang in the middle of the birth place of Co-operation, Rochdale town Centre.  Together with the town’s folk of Rochdale we created a giant mural of the Rochdale Pioneer’s shop that would make co-operative hero Robert Owen proud!

On a blustery Monday afternoon Art.Works worked with fellow co-operators ‘Peace Effects Media’ to create a live art pastel picture and vibrant video.  We spread the co-operative message, (working together we can do so much more) and soon had a helpful crowd of passersby, shoppers and a whole assembly of school children ready to pitch in and pastel their town centre all the colours of the proverbial rainbow.

Without the good will of Rochdale’s finest residents we would not have achieved such a colourful creation, as one participant put it: ‘it’s good doing it like this innit? Get more out of it when we all pitch in’.  I couldn’t have put it better myself!

So huge thanks to the kids, the teachers, the grannies, the shoppers, the Falinge massive, the crew, them all.  Big up Peace Effects Media’ who are editing their awesome footage as I type (look out for the special blog post and feature on their finished product) and respect to Lindzi and John at Co-operative’s UK and David from the Co-operative Group for their help and expertise.

A Little Round Up Of A Massive Month!

Goodness!  what a gloriously busy month June has been for Art.Works!  We've been sprinkling our creative star dust high and low, from the the very first Fruity  Fairtrade Session at Touchstones to harvesting arts for Handa's Surprise at Bowlee Primary School, and not forgetting all the felt making, flag flying and mosaic making across many Rochdale schools in between. It's been a non stop art shop for Art.Works, just the way we like it!


This week alone saw the start of our exciting new project ' The Great Wall of Cartmel', aimed at involving six community groups from Falinge Housing Estate in creating their huge mural masterpiece to brighten up their living space.  


On Friday we kicked off with 40 members  Falinge parents and kids group.  we flung our shoes off and dived feet first, (ok, feet only!) into paint before splashing and racing over lengthy leafs of paper.  Spurred on by their paint splattered introduction members then formed ferocious monsters in groups, ready to grin and growl from their giant mural. And why did the monster knit herself three socks? Because she'd grown another foot of course!


The women's group are now armed with their cameras ready to click, flick and snap their estate in all it's glory.  they're looking forward to paining inspiration for their multi cultural inspired canvas.  Watch out Falinge, ladies with lens about!


The girl's group then got to grips with Warhol, transforming the Striking Cheryl Cole into a colourful canvas of silky cerise skin to a perfect purple pout,  nice!  The girls have decided to put their own image onto their canvas and will brave the colourful palette once more to create a quirky Warhol inspired mural.  I can't wait to see their transformation when we start the painting later in the summer. 


Here's to hoping all other community groups on Falinge feel as inspired as our intrepid artists on Friday, they've set the ball rolling, the paint palette swirling for a lively transformation of Falinge's Cartmel Wall.

Sunshine and Showers for Felting with St Edward's

Some might suggest it was the perfect piece of art activity for   ferociously  hot Friday; water sprays, bowls of soap suds a cool vapour in the classroom air, soothing felt making.  But don't be deceived!   I neglected to mention the extreme exertion required when felt making. The vigourous rubbing of olive oil soap to bind fibres, the rapid rolling back and forth, back and forth, of felting mats, the pummeling of fires.  Think of a room fueled with over zealous bakers, pumping, pounding, squeezing, squirting; that's the scene of a felt making classroom.  


Oh it might have been hot outside, there might have been litres of cooling water galore  inside, but that didn't distract Year 6 pupils from St Edwards' putting all their energies into forming fantastic felted pieces of art.


On a hot and sticky Friday in May pupils worked with Art.Works to create amazing felt animals, birds and plants to be displayed on a banner in their school.  Working in 3 groups of 16 the pupils immediately took a hands on approach to learning.  To kick off the sessions the pupils'  imagination came alive with animated suggestions they wanted to praise God for.  From the hump back whale to saffron winged butterflies, all creatures (great and small!)  were considered during the sessions.


The creative kids then selected their brightly coloured fibres to bind , shape and form.  Then, shirt sleeves rolled high above the elbow, soap suds and squirt bottles at the ready, pupils put their back into forming and producing a jungle of creatures that could put Noah to shame!


Art.Works had a fantastic day with Year six at St Edward's Primary School, their enthusiastic approach to art kept us entertained and their comments ensured we left St Edward's with an enormous smile on our face...


'This is brilliant, Cat is very funny (and) crazy.... Trish is kind... I want you to come back to our school' 
Year 6 pupil, St Edward's Primary School, Rochdale