Arts Council of Wales 'Arts for All' Award: £69,700: October 2001-2004
Project Outline:
This project involves taking our mobile presses out to work in any venue in the community. Once contact has been made and an introductory session/ workshop has taken place, some of the groups came to the main studio and progressed onto more advanced work
Staffing:
Project Officer part time pro-rata 3 days a week: Freelance Artists: paid by the session: Assistants: paid by the session: Volunteers and Interns
The aims of the project were:-
- to provide a feeder stream of printmakers in the community who will move on to higher levels of workshops
- to facilitate the development of a pool of artists and emerging artists skilled in leading workshops in a creative and interesting way with a good working knowledge of printmaking techniques, as workshop leaders.
- to facilitate the development of undergraduate and emerging artists assistants in the workshop programme (see below, Careers Outcomes)
- to maintain a high standard of work and develop good work practices
- to provide entry level workshops for a wide range of groups, including those with special needs, for example, partially sighted, mental health groups etc.
- to increase the profile of printmaking as an activity through exhibitions and demonstrations at public events.
Shaw Trust: linocuts Sue Kelsall
Heol Goffa: collagraphs Workshop leader Sue Kelsall
The project is now finished. It was extremely successful in raising the profile of printmaking, not only in the voluntary sector, but also in mainstream education, where we can make significant contributions to curriculum requirements, outreach community college programmes and small art groups.
We worked with over 50 groups, nearly 500 workshops and over 6,000 attendances by the end of the project.
We are now in a position where these contacts are being consolidated and built on and in particular we provide a programme of studio based events which will allow people to build on these skills. The presses can still be hired by our groups or we can provide a workshop leader. We also provide backup for materials and technical advice.
Ysgul Gyfun: woodcut portraits: Workshop leader Sue Kelsall
Groups we have worked with:
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Bishop Gore Comprehensive
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Bishopston Comprehensive
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Blaen-y-Maes Primary School
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Bonymaen Family Centre
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Brondeg House
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Brynhyfryd Junior School
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Cadle Primary School
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Cefn Coed Hospital/staff development
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Cliffriw Junior School
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Clase Primary School
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Clwyd Junior School
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Crug Glas Special Needs School
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Crws Junior School
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Cwmbwrla Day Centre
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Dyffryn Comprehensive
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Ffynone House School
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Glyn Vivian Art Gallery
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Glynneath Adult Training Centre
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Gors Junior School
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Gorseinon College
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Home Education Group
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Heol Goffa Social Activity Centre
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Llanelli Involve
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Interplay
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Independent Living Gorseinon
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Longfields Day Centre
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Lynx Llanelli
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Lynx Ty Amman
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Maes Glas Community Centre Neath
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General Hospital Neath
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Port Talbot College Out of School Group
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Oystermouth Primary School
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Palette Club
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Pen Y Fro Primary School
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Playright
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Quay House Bail Hostel
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Red Café Connected
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Rose Cross Day Centre
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Swansea Museum
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Swansea Women’s Centre
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Symud Ymlaen Regeneration Trust
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The Shaw Trust Disability Action Centre
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Three Crosses Art Club
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Tregwyr Junior School
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Wetlands Wildlife Trust Llanelli
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Ysgol Gyfun Maes-yr-Yrfa
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Ystradgynlais Welfare Hall
Career Outcomes:
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Our first Project Officer worked on the project for twelve months and gained very valuable experience in setting up and managing the project. On the basis of this she was able to gain a full time post managing in the Ebbw Vale Recycling Project with much larger budget.
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One of our earliest volunteers was able to gain valuable experience and confidence through our programme of work. From being an occasional unpaid volunteer, she progressed to paid Workshop Assistant, then Workshop Leader. This enabled her finally to obtain a full time post in the city as a community artist.
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Additionally, four volunteers progressed to become paid Workshop Assistants; of these, two progressed further to become Workshop Leaders.