Wellingborough estate residents urged to take part in 'Shed of Culture' art project to showcase local community
A new art project from The Creative Place, a Northampton-based arts centre is on the lookout for people in Kingsway, Wellingborough to showcase their creativity.
People are being sought to help start what is hoped to be a series of mini pop-up arts spaces to ‘paint a picture of the people and places of Kingsway’.
The sessions offer a chance to meet organisers and local artists, enjoy some food, learn about the project, and contribute to a ‘lasting legacy’ in Northamptonshire.
Becky Carrier, festival director at The Creative Place, said: “This creative project is all about sharing the stories of our streets. We are continually blown away by the stories that we hear across Northamptonshire about people’s lives, jobs, travels etc – large and small – and the Shed of Culture project is the perfect well to showcase all the different talents, cultures and people that make up an area.
“We’re calling for residents who have lived in or near Kingsway to drop into one of the sessions and help us paint a picture of the people and places of Kingsway. You might just want to have a chat with us, or you can have a go at some of our free creative activities suitable for all ages. Whether it’s for two minutes or two hours, we’d love to hear from you. Come find out what a Shed of Culture actually is.”
The initiative recently received a £5,000 cash boost from Greatwell Homes’ Community Grants Fund programme, to help get the project off the ground.
The first ‘Shed of Culture’ session will be at Wellingborough Methodist Church on Friday, August 15 from 1pm until 7pm, with local community members invited to get involved in shaping the project via a series of get-to-know-you workshops.
Then, sessions will take place at the same times on Monday, August 18 and Friday, August 22, and Saturday, August 30 from 10am until 2pm. Each of the drop-in events are open to people of all ages, though under 13-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult.
Nikki Glazebrook, senior community involvement officer at Greatwell Homes, added: “It is exactly these kind of projects, which have the potential to bring so much to our neighbourhoods, that our Community Grants Fund is set up to support and I’m delighted to see the ambitious plans falling into place.
“The Creative Place is already a fantastic resource in Northamptonshire and bringing their creativity to the heart of our Kingsway community is a brilliant idea. It would be great to see as many Kingsway faces as possible at the drop-in sessions to make the first Shed of Culture a real success. We hope to expand the project into other neighbourhoods in the future.”
People who are interested in taking part can sign up here.