ART BY EAST DURHAM FOR EAST DURHAM The Let’s Create Commissioning Programme

Overseen by 22 PROJECTS Over 5,000 people engaged

THE LET’S CREATE COMMISSIONING PROJECT For almost three years the former Coalfield area of East Durham has benefited from being part of the National Creative People and Places programme funded by Arts Council . The main focus of the programme is to simply raise Arts participation levels in the 21 chosen areas across England.

In East Durham the project has been delivered under the banner of “East Durham Creates” by a consortium of partners headed up by Beamish Museum. The Consortium member charged with ensuring community engagement is the local organisation East Durham Trust.

One of the key strands delivered by the Trust has been the “Let’s Create” Commissioning Programme, where local community groups, arts organisations and individual organisations were invited to submit proposals to a panel of local people supported by the project’s “Critical Friend” Tony Harrington.

In assessing proposals the panel looked at the potential of suggested activity to provide new opportunities for local people to engage with the Arts.

During the programme funding of between £500 and £2,500 was allocated to a total of 22 projects, in total almost £50,000 being invested in the local community leadingContents to over 5,300 people engaging in Arts, many of whom experienced certain art forms for the first time.

This document is intended to showcase the experiences of those individuals and the Let’s Create strand in general.

1 JACK DRUM ARTS: Communidad De Navidad OUTDOOR FESTIVALS

Over 150 participants GRANT: £2,500 Over 700 attendees EAST DURHAM CREATED…. Over £13,000 match A multicultural Latin American inspired arts event which included a parade and a large series of funding secured workshops including drumming and lantern making.

RESULT An established Arts organisation was able to create sustained links into the area, bringing with them significant match funding to create a large scale high end arts event which included many new kinds of arts experiences.

THE BARN AT EASINGTON: Mayhem at the Barn AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. An outdoor festival including music, poetry, a parade and a series of workshops in the lead up to the event. The festival told the story of the May King and Queen who appeared as puppets in unique country location.

RESULT The event was so successful the Barn intends to make it run annually. They also sold tickets for other events at the venue. Over 160 tickets sold Over £1,100 income 5 Local Bands performed ONGOINGONGOING 3 Local Artists exhibited 2 HORDEN YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE: Be-mused

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A phone photography group for young people and development of the fine art group.

RESULT Increased arts provision and fresh engagement in the arts.

ONGOINGONGOING

SHOTTON COMMUNITY CENTRE: Youth Arts Project

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. An arts project and concert for local young people.

RESULT The area saw a reduction in anti-social behaviour during the art sessions and increased interest in arts by the young people of Shotton

“Great to see our Art come to life. I didn’t think I had it in me!”

EAST DURHAM ARTISTS NETWORK: The Art of Jimmy Kays/Stone and Bones Exhibition

AWARDS £1,000 and £1,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. Two exhibitions. The first showing the work of Jimmy Kays, a mining artists and the second exploring local history and creating art work in response. Both exhibitions were accompanied by lectures, walks and a workshop programme at Art Block, a newly established Arts venue.

RESULT Increased interest in Art Block as venue with work showcased in exhibitions that toured afterwards. 3 SCARECROWS A partnership approach ACTION CASTLE EDEN Festival GRANT: £1,040

OVERVIEW Improvement of existing annual Scarecrow EASINGTON VILLAGE PARISH COUNCIL Festival and addition of two new villages Scarecrow Festival (Hutton Henry and High Hesleden) GRANT: £2,500 RESULT Engagement in new areas who will continue to OVERVIEW be involved in annual festivals. Organisers also Improvement of existing annual Scarecrow supported other newly established Scarecrow Festival Festival (see below). ONGOINGONGOING RESULT Easington Village will be joining the newly established Scarecrow network next year and were able to create a number of exciting additions to their festival including online SHOTTON RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION tutorial videos. Scarecrow Festival ONGOINGONGOING GRANT: £2,500

OVERVIEW Support to establish a new annual Scarecrow Festival in Shotton Colliery

RESULT Attracting over 100 participants the Festival was a big success. Shotton have agreed to join in with a new inter-village annual Scarecrow Festival and drew heavily on the expertise of Action Castle Eden who had previously successfully hosted Scarecrow Festivals. ONGOINGONGOING

4 5

CREATIVE YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES: Family Arts

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. Family Arts project based in the Greenhills Centre in Wheatley Hill with an exhibition launch. The project linked into multiple groups that access the centre.

RESULT The project provided an evidence base for a large amount of funding for both the centre and organisation to run a year long programme of arts. “This has been great for all of the Community.”

SHOTTON PARTNERSHIP 2000 LTD: Shotton Tea Dances

AWARD £1,620

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A series of six tea dances exploring different dance styles from ballroom to urban dance.

RESULT An increased interest in dance was created, particularly by making dance accessible to all levels of abilities and evidence base for external funding. Over 700 attendees “I have never been a fan of dancing, especially the new forms of dance, but I have changed my mind today – all the dancing was great.”

WINGATE & STATION TOWN FAMILY CENTRE: Once Upon a Time

AWARD £2,262

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A programme of Storytelling session working with renowned performer Chris Bostock targeting local disengaged families

RESULT A link was created with an established Arts Practitioner and new previously disengaged families now continue to attend activities at Centre.

7 EXHIBIT ‘A’RT: ShopGirls EMPTY SHOPS Using alternative spaces

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. An exhibition of mixed media work by a collective of female artists inspired by the theme of shops. This included a series of workshops and interactive artwork.

RESULT Due to the exhibition being in Peterlee town centre it engaged lots of people in experimental art who wouldn’t normally be interested in these art forms. It also supported the ongoing practice of local artists.

LIFEMAPPING CIC: The Mosaic Lounge

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A pop up mosaic workshop based in local shopping centre in Peterlee. The pieces were raffled off to participants.

RESULT Allowed applicant to trial a model that proved hugely successful and engaged a high level of previously disengaged people due to the location.

NOW EAST DURHAM: Apollo My View AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. An exhibition of work challenging local people’s perception of the Apollo Pavilion. This exhibition utilised the same empty shop space as ShopGirls (see above).

RESULT The exhibition sparked conversation about a piece of controversial architecture and created a body of work around this varying opinion 8 EASINGTON COLLIERY IN BLOOM: LUBETKIN THEATRE & EAST DURHAM COLLEGE: Creative Gardening Silent Disco Theatre: The House GRANT: £2,500 GRANT: £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A project utilising local allotments to host a An innovative theatre piece that employs series of Creative Gardening and Outdoor Art silent disco technology to create a story with Workshops. different view points. The piece will tour locally.

DAWDON YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE: APOLLO PAVILION COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words Jack Shine the Maggie GRANT: £2,500 GRANT: £1,100

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A project around the traditional North East A photography project designed to engage the children’s game “Jack Shine the Maggie” Mamzone and their kids in taking and editing engaging young people and their families with photographs. a storyteller and other artists.

RESULT RESULT The project created photos for the Centre, The schools involved continued to engage with gained equipment other groups could use and the storyteller for future projects and upskilled Mams and their kids. continued partnership work for other projects. “This project broke down barriers within the group.”

9 BLACKHALL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Community Mosaic

AWARD £1,612

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. The opportunity for young people to take part in making a mosaic for the Community Centre. The project linked with another initiative covering “holiday hunger”.

RESULT A piece of mosaic that can be displayed in the Community Centre.

BLOOMINART NORTH EAST CIC: Shine Project

AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A series of workshops to design and create a large scale vinyl artwork for a local school. This included engaging young people in working with new art forms and innovative materials like glass that they had never worked with before.

RESULT The project created ongoing ties for a newly established local organisation as well as identifying a desire to increase arts provision in the school.

FRIENDS OF WELLFIELD SCHOOL: Belle Canto Choir AWARD £2,500

EAST DURHAM CREATED…. A community choir specifically for women and girls with the aim to improve self confidence and formalising the music and performance element.

RESULT The choir will continue on a regular basis. The choir has also been a successful engagement tool for getting new members to access the exercise element of the East Durham Belles.

ONGOINGONGOING 10 Special thanks to the Let’s Create Panel for their ongoing support of the programme: Rona Hardy Councillor June Clark Alison Nutter Jaynie Dixon-Clark Amanda Moon Councillor Sonia Forster Maggie Parker

Critical Friend Tony Harrington

And East Durham Trust Staff Malcolm Fallow Jess Hunt Colin Jackson

Charity No. 1117642 Company No. 5934124 East Durham Trust is a Registered Charity with an expressed purpose to promote the regeneration of rural and urban areas of the effects of social and economic decline. The Trust is the flagship Voluntary and Community Sector organisation for the area and as well as providing the traditional support to local Community groups and is host to the area’s Nationally Accredited Volunteer Centre.

East Durham Trust www.eastdurhamtrust.org.uk For more information about East Durham Creates contact Jess Hunt Tel: 0191 5693511 Email: [email protected]