Upperton Public Art Commission
The Upperton Residents Committee, in collaboration with Community Action Lanarkshire and the Rural Development Trust, commissioned Impact Arts to deliver a project aimed at designing and constructing an entrance feature for the village of Upperton. The project involved researching the history of Upperton and engaging with local primary school children through creative workshops. These workshops allowed the children to explore the village’s history and express what makes their community special through art. Their artwork served as inspiration for the entrance feature design, and the final structure was built and installed at the end of 2022. A presentation was given by the children to their school, showcasing their involvement and the final design.
The creative workshops, led by a qualified Impact Arts artist, included sessions focused on design and reflection, engaging children and community members in discussions about local culture and identity. The children’s artwork was refined into a digital format for presentation to the project steering group. After selecting the final design, experienced fabricators constructed the entrance feature. A final report was produced, detailing the project’s process, community engagement, design decisions, and lessons learned.
Creative Play with North Ayrshire Foodbank
In Summer 2023 North Ayrshire Foodbank commissioned Impact Arts to deliver Creative Outdoor Play for some of their families with children aged 5-11. Creative Outdoor Play is designed to encourage primary school-aged children to develop creative skills, confidence outdoors and to help them develop family and peer relationships. Impact Arts delivered 6 events for 30 people, during which time children learned games they can play outdoors with little or no materials and discovered local green spaces and parks which they may not yet have visited, or learnt how to see them in a totally different light.
Over the course of the 6 weeks, children who struggled to make friends grew confidence in playing together, and parents developed creative skills for encouraging their children to play outdoors using their imagination and materials found in nature.
Shettleston Housing Association Creative Consultation
The St. Mark’s Mural Community Consultation, led by Impact Arts and funded by Glasgow City Council and Shettleston Housing Association, aimed to restore and reimagine the disrepair of the iconic St. Mark’s Mural. Through a series of 10 workshops, Impact Arts engaged 50 young people and 40 residents in the Shettleston area to contribute to the Mural design process. Participants attended youth workshops and creative coffee mornings, to express their ideas for the mural’s new look. They also received creative wellbeing packs to encourage artistic exploration beyond the facilitated workshops. A key objective was to place local people at the heart of decision-making and foster stronger community connections.
The community’s response was overwhelmingly positive. From initial consultations to voting of the final design, residents and young people consistently emphasised retaining elements of the original mural, including its initials. Three design ideas were shortlisted, and feedback from over 39 additional community members was collected to shape the final design. The project succeeded in creating a collaborative, community-driven process, with the design of a vibrant new mural set to represent Shettleston’s evolving identity while preserving its heritage.
Generations Working Together
Commissioned by Generations Working Together, Impact Arts embarked on a creative project aimed at bridging the gap between older and younger generations in the Yoker area by exploring the theme of community safety. Through a series of 2-hour workshops, the initiative sought to understand participants’ perspectives on what community safety means to them. The sessions were designed to engage individuals in art forms that interested them the most while addressing any additional needs they might have. Over the course of the project, older adults and young people, including students from Clyde College and members of the Yoker Older Persons Group, came together to create artwork inspired by the discussions around community safety.
The project unfolded over three stages: five weeks with Clyde College students, six weeks with the Yoker Older Persons Group, and six weeks where both groups collaborated. The primary aim was to foster community cohesion, enhance confidence and well-being, and reduce social isolation among participants. The project began in November 2023 and was completed with an end-of-project celebration, enabling all four partner groups to connect, share insights, and promote the findings to invited stakeholders and the wider community.
Got any questions?
If you would like to speak to us about a potential commission, or to request a quote, please fill out this online form.
