Community Arts in the High Peak
The New Mills group created 59 mosaics to make a trail for Furness Vale Community Field , with artist Debra Tracey. We have also produced a leaflet so you can tick them off as you find them. See leaflet here, PROJECT EARTH MOSAIC TRAIL pages 1 – 3 and PROJECT EARTH MOSAIC TRAIL page 4!
Participants at New Mills Project eARTh are currently working with artist Caroline Chouler Tissier on 2 large welcome signs that will be placed in the Community Field at Furness Vale in the High Peak. Taking inspiration from the surrounding environment, and how local residents can use the park, the designs will be a rich mixture of those drawn into the clay; built on as relief pieces; and created by drawings and photos used as de-cal transfers. The finished signs will be mounted on aluminium. We can’t wait to see the finished results!
We
are delighted to be starting a new project with the residents of Charis House, Buxton, a safe place where homeless women, including those escaping from domestic violence, and women recovering from drug and alcohol dependency can find rest and recovery.
High Peak Community Arts has worked with Good News Family Care (who run Charis 
House) since 2014 via the Creative Wellbeing project. This programme works with its residents and other women in the community in a wide range of creative arts. Workshops are held at Good News Family Care’s Family Centre or Oldfield Farm.
Funded by The Ashley Foundation, The South West Peak Landscape Partnership, and the John Booth Charitable Trust, the project seeks to provide a fun, creative way of learning new skills, socialising and doing something different. The main ingredient in this project comes straight from local fields, courtesy of our four-legged fleeced friends at Oldfield Farm! Local Lleyn sheep take centre stage, with women learning all the processes about how to transform a sheep’s fleece into carded wool – washing, sorting, dying, and carding – and then using the carded wool for wet felting, needle felting and weaving, as well as spinning the carded wool into yarn.
Working with local artist Carol Wilson, project participants will create final pieces from the fleece – these may be woven, knitted, crocheted or felted. The idea is that the yarn can also be sold in local shops as a way of generating much needed extra funds for Charis House.
“The first project we ever did at Charis House was felting, which the women really enjoyed so, when the farm acquired 6 Lleyn sheep, it seemed ideal to revisit and expand the idea, this time involving the whole process from the shearing to the finished items. We see this is a long term venture so that staff can use their sheep to generate useful activity and income” (Alison Bowry, Project Co-ordinator, High Peak Community Arts)
“It’s fun doing it all together, working as a team. You get that feeling that people have been doing this kind of activity over centuries. And you really appreciate all the work it takes to transform wool into, say, a jumper…” (Jan, Volunteer, Charis House)
In 2018, the project will be using commercial dyes. Next year, participants will be using natural dyes, including those that will be created from plants (such as woad) that grow on Oldfield Farm.
Between 2018-19, the project aims to work with a minimum of 30 women in over 40 workshops.
For more information, please contact Alison on 01663 744516 or at alison@highpeakarts.org.
Come and be inspired by Project eARTh participants latest work!
For the past 6 months, project participants have been working with the renowned poet (and ex-Cheshire Poet Laureate) John Lindley to craft poetry on a variety of themes. Work included in the book ranges from being very funny to profound and soul-searching. Participants have penned inspiring poetry on a wide range of subjects which include bat boxes, pets, childhood memories and conkers. There’s even one written about mothers-in-law!
Under the expert guidance of John Lindley, the participants (some of whom have never written poetry before) have experimented with a range of writing techniques, including haiku.
Helen Mort, ex-Derbyshire Poet Laureate, a rising star of British poetry and one of HPCA’s esteemed Ambassadors, has written a foreword to accompany the book.
There will be an official book launch on Thursday March 22nd 2018, 11am-12.30pm, at Spring Bank Arts Centre, New Mills. All welcome! Guests will be able to hear poems read from the book, enjoy refreshments and have the opportunity to buy copies of ‘Carved from the Earth’ for only £3. All proceeds from book sales will go directly back to High Peak Community Arts.
Our schools programme has been running since 2015 with funding from the National Foundation for Youth Music matched by Derbyshire Music Education Hub and contributions from the schools.
This year (2018/19) we are working in Glossopdale Community College, Buxton Community School and New Mills School, to provide weekly music and arts activities for pupils who needed a boost in their learning.
Each year we launch with a trip to Manchester to work at Band on the Wall for the day, where the young people work with their technician on the sound and lighting desk and with professional musicians with different backgrounds. In the sessions that followed the young people work with Lucy LeClaire, Eskay and G-kut to learn new skills, such as programming music on software such as Garageband, Logic and Ableton Live; writing lyrics about their lives, and using this to talk about ‘life in general’ in an open way; Researching their musical influences and art and design used by recording artists; and instrumental skills. They also gain in self confidence and dialogue with staff and teachers who see them achieving and working together. Since 2015 64 young people have gained an Arts Award from Trinity College London at Bronze or Explore level.
“It has given me the chance to express myself and I enjoyed doing something without be judged.” Young participant
We also sign post participants into our out of school activity, like Film Cuts Club and Tall Tales.
“The best bit was being creative with music in a chilled atmosphere where we can talk about life in general.” Young participant.
