Community Engagement
Yorkshire ArtSpace has been involved in engagement, education and outreach activities for over 20 years, providing exciting opportunities in the visual arts and crafts for children, young people, adults and communities to develop their creative thinking and practical skills.
Much of our work in this area is now done as part of the Residency Programme and is linked to our new studio developments in the city centre, Manor Oaks and in Parson Cross (see Studios for details). More detail can be found via the Residency Journals and the Blog entries.
We still offer schools and groups bespoke activity such as tours, talks and opportunities to meet artists starting at £180 for a group tour/talk. If you would like to discuss the options please contact rachael@artspace.org
Chaucer School and Park Academy education project inspired by Paul Morrison at Millenium Gallery: July to November 2012
Between July and November 2012, Yorkshire Artspace will be working with 2 secondary schools from the Parson Cross and Manor neighbourhoods in Sheffield, inspired by the Paul Morrison exhibition at Millennium Gallery.
Year 10 pupils from Park Academy in the Manor and Chaucer School in Parson Cross will be working with Yorkshire Artspace artists Charlie Hill and Emilie Taylor to create a mirror polished stainless steel laser etching and clay tiles. Visits to studios of artists, allotments and the Turret House at Manor Lodge will provide additional inspiration to the pupils. The work produced by the pupils will go on display in the Avenue of Millennium Galleries from 8th October 2012 for a period of 2 weeks.
Paul Morrison helped us to raise the funds for this project through designing a limited edition artwork for sale. We still have 4 artworks available for sale with all proceeds used to fund more education projects. More information available from Mir Jansen, 0114 2130111. You can download the press release from press section of this website for full details on the project.
We like to thank The Sheffield Assay Office, Aalco Steel in Nottingham, Museums Sheffield, Green Estate, Manor Lodge and LEAF Allotments for helping us to make the project possible.
SYMPOSIUM - Art Practice in a Social Context - 13th December 2011
To mark the end of our first year of work in Parson Cross and the opening of the new artists’ studios in Parson Cross, Yorkshire Artspace held a symposium event on 13th December 2011 at the brand new Knutton Road Studios.
Through this event we explored and examined the role that art, artists and arts organisations can play in communities and neighbourhoods adn asked questions such as: Can the arts and artists make a valuable contribution to a neighbourhood? Many claims are made about culture and the arts being transformative, able to shift perceptions and bring about change. Is this true and if so to what extent? Should culture be used to assist with social agendas? Can art be useful? What drives artists to work in the social? What motivates people to engage with art/artists? Or .... is it better never to mention art at all and what difference does art make?
Knutton Road Studios is part of the new SOAR Works mixed-use development in the heart of Parson Cross neighbourhood, Sheffield and, with support From Paul Hamlyn Foundation, we are using this innovative model of culture within regeneration and housing renewal initiatives as a starting point for imagining what could be and the role that artist studios could play within the ongoing development of this community.
Programme manager rachael@artspace.org.uk
This event is supported by Turning Point Yorkshire and Humber. Turning Point is a national initiative, led by a network of regional groups who want to galvanise the visual arts sector nationally. It has started to drive regional leadership for the visual arts and encourage greater co-operation, collaboration and communication.
Parson Cross Residencies:
Lisa Gallacher
Lisa Gallacher has been working as artist in residence in Parson Cross over the last year on the Parson Cross: Made to Measure project involving 10 residents in developing their own garments reflecting their personal relationship with their neighbourhood.
And artists talk in Oct 2011 provided an opportunity to preview the Parson Cross: Made To Measure garment designs, to learn how the project has evolved and hear the individual stories that have inspired each outfit. Lisa will discuss how the project builds on her wider practice, focusing on some of the key influences behind her work, including her long-standing interest in developing garment collections that explore ideas of locality and belonging. We hope to share the work via an event in Parson Cross in December (details tbc) and a photographer will take a photo portrait of each participant wearing their garment which will be exhibited locally. There will be an exhibition March 2012 – The Parson Cross-Made to Measure garment collection and portraits in the Yorkshire Artspace Gallery.
Steve Pool & Kate Genever: THE COLLABORATORS
We appointed Steve and Kate to work with us in Parson Cross during 2011 prior to the opening of the brand new Knutton Road Studios. They began the process of connecting with people in the neighbourhood by running participatory activities at the Parson Cross Christmas Fayre in December 2010. Following a period of research (otherwise known as unpaid thinking time!) a central theme emerged around the idea of exchange and art production.
They developed Made for You a collection of artworks made with shop keepers on Buchanan Road and Margetson Crescent. They have also used part of their fee to offer four small commissions to other artists to respond to Parson Cross. They will also help us develop a relationship with Chaucer Secondary School and with Colley Working Mens Club. This residency has is helping us connect with people and businesses and ask relevant and pertinent questions about the role of art, artists and Yorkshire Artspace in Parson Cross.
You can follow this project, the thoughts and considerations of THE COLLABORATORS and musing on the B.E.S.T. sandwich on the Parson Cross project blog
Manor Oaks Residencies
Frances Priest
We selected Edinburgh based artist/ceramicist Frances Priest for our first residency at Manor Oaks Studios during 2011. Her project ended with her exhibition New Manor Ware which opened on 24th September 2011 in the banqueting room of the Turret House.
Frances worked on design development with 86 people from a number of community local groups to realise the plan to make a table setting for the Tudor Turret House banqueting room. Groups included: The Manor Lodge over 50’s Lunch Club, Enable Day Care Centre, young people from Endeavour, based at Wybourn Youth Trust, Anchor Court Sheltered Housing Association and the Freeman College Whittle Tang Cutlery workshop.
Emilie Taylor
Yorkshire Artspace commissioned ceramicist Emilie Taylor to work with a group of apprentices at Green Estate. The team of young apprentices and their team leaders are mainly recruited from The Manor and Wybourn areas of Sheffield to learn about horticulture and landscaping.
The work they created, entitled 'Lords, Ladies and Apron Men’ consists of 9 stoneware ceramic meat plates decorated using oxide and luster, created by Kyle, Danny, Kyle, Charlie, Bob, Don, Andy and Matt. In the workshops Emilie and the participants explored issues of masculinity in the Renaissance period and the present day.
Emilie explains: 'Images were developed to incorporate historical symbolism alongside contemporary iconography from the men's daily lives, including their role in the work of Green Estate. The plates celebrate the current Renaissance or re-birth of the Manor, and recognise the role of local people in developing the site both historically and today"