The sanctuary at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children has been given a colourful facelift featuring artwork created by its patients following a residency by young artist Phoebe Roze.
Commissioned in partnership by Impact Arts and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, Phoebe, 21, worked with 50 children resident at the hospital to revamp the space following storytelling and arts workshops.
The sanctuary – which offers a place for peace and contemplation to children and families – was transformed following a consultation process involving staff, volunteers, children, young people and patients’ families.
Phoebe’s workshops led to the creation of prints, drawings and collages, which were then scanned and enlarged for vinyl panels and attached to walls.
Previously a blank space, the aim of the project was to create a more welcoming environment for those who use the sanctuary.
As well as being a place for contemplation, it will now be used for training and community events, including mindfulness classes and baby yoga.
Phoebe, a recent graduate of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone University, says it was important that the refurbishment included the children’s own artwork.
“It’s amazing for me – but the best part is that it’s the kids’ work on the wall.
“They are the most important part of the hospital and kids’ art is so strange and imaginative. The fact that they have contributed 90% of what is up there is hopefully very special for the kids, the parents, the staff and volunteers.”
“Having your child in the hospital is obviously a traumatic experience, and that is why it was so important to make the sanctuary a calming, inviting and positive space.”
Rev. Jim Meighan, the chaplain of the Royal Hospital for Children, says the artwork has already made a dramatic change.
“The sanctuary is important for everybody who uses the hospital – patients, families and staff. It’s a place where people can take a breather from the hustle and bustle.
“There are people using the sanctuary that haven’t been previously, and that’s all to do with the artwork on the wall.
“We wanted people to claim the space as their own – and the artwork has already achieved that.
Kirsten Sinclair, Director of Fundraising at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said:
“The artwork that Phoebe has created with the help of the children and their families is beautiful. It totally transforms the space, and makes the entrance to the Sanctuary feel so warm and welcoming”.
This project was part of Impact Arts’ commissioned work, which involves professional artists in creating public artwork for community settings. If you are interested in commissioning us to complete a piece of work, please contact our Head of Development Carrie Manning on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected].
A new block of Make it Your Own kicked off this month in Paisley!
This is a project in partnership with Renfrewshire Council’s Housing Support service that aims to make council tenancies more sustainable through offering people the chance to take part in creative workshops.
Those moving into first time tenancies work closely with Impact Arts’ artists-in-residence to plan and design exactly what they want to do with their new homes to make it feel somewhere that is truly theirs.
Participants are given a shopping budget and are then taught a variety of creative skills that can be used to upcycle and make decorations and furnishings for the home.
After a hugely successful pilot at the beginning of this year, Impact Arts are now delivering a block of Make it Your Own for the next 9 months.
Those engaging in workshops have taken to them fantastically so far; in the last week:
- Angela took up two sets of blinds and primed several large canvases for some statement wall art pieces, while receiving a sewing masterclass from tutor Linda
- Rosie has also been sewing away, making a new set of cushions from scratch
- and Eddie is hard at work on a tiled bathroom mirror
As well as putting across some of their own personality in their new home, these are skills that will be passed on for any personal projects they choose to try their hand at in the future.
For more information about the Communities portion of Impact Arts’ work, please visit this section of our website.
The project is all go, with site visits, artwork planning and the creation of an interactive map all under way. If you’re wondering what it’s all about, hear it from the young people involved in this video about the project!
Young people have been finalising their designs and you can have a sneak peak at their creativity ideas for a ‘Banter Bench’, ‘Totem’ and ‘Living Lounge’!
Our Urban Green Cranhill project came to a close on Friday. We celebrated the end of a fantastic programme with an exhibition of work, bicycle cinema and poly-tunnel disco. More than 100 people came to celebrate a year of hard work by Cranhill’s residents with fabulous food from Soul Sisters and free copies of our community resource pack.
One resident said: “I love what’s been going on, there has been so much change! I hope it continues and gets better.”
Another commented: “I’ve never seen Cranhill look like this, its beautiful!”
We made a video about Urban Green and Cranhill, you can watch here.
We’re looking forward to seeing Cranhill continue to flourish at the hands of its environmentally concious residents!
*Photos courtesy of Tom Finnie.
The Living Windows project is really starting to take shape in Cumbernauld! Impact Arts has worked with 200 children and young people from Cumbernauld Academy, Greenfaulds and St Maurices’ High Schools, and Westfield, Condorrat, Eastfields, Ravenswood and St Helens Primary Schools.
They have been finalising their ideas and themes to take to a steering group comprised of young volunteers. They have settled on three themes for the Living Windows:
1. ‘A Way of Seeing’ – creating spaces where visitors can learn information on local wildlife
2. ‘A New Way of Seeing’ – mirrors and reflections, creating new landscapes and views
3. ‘Eyes of The Forest’ – creation of wildlife statues within the sites
The steering group will lead on the development of the Living Windows themes, interpreting the work generated by local children and young people.
There are still a few more design workshops with Impact Arts tutors and school pupils. When these are completed, the steering group will hold community engagement sessions at local shopping centres to see what people think of the designs. Once the final designs have been chosen, they will be manufactured and installed at the three sites! Follow this blog to find out more about the next phase!
Scotland officially had its wettest winter on record but with the days getting longer and lighter and the sun poking through, a little respite is in sight. And what better way to celebrate than with an Enchanted Garden Party!
The garden party is the culmination of the yearlong Urban Green programme in Cranhill, a partnership between charity Impact Arts and Thenue Housing Association. The community-led initiative, funded by the Climate Challenge Fund, has been helping local residents of all ages to be environmentally aware, reduce their carbon emissions and fuel bills and teaching them to grow their own food.
Impact Arts are inviting locals to enter the Enchanted Garden and discover a magical bike powered eco cinema, and dance the evening away at the poly tunnel disco! Food will be served by Glasgow-based social enterprise Soul Food Sisters. The event will take place in the garden at Cranhill Development Trust on Bellrock Street.
Natalie McFadyen White, Programme Manager at Impact Arts said:
“The Urban Green project has had such a positive on the local area. We’ve worked with 1322 people on a number of exciting projects such as cooking workshops, wild walks, and schools projects. The garden is looking especially fantastic – even after a wet winter!
“We’ll be giving out some amazing free resource packs at the party, with recipes, grow guides and energy tips, as well as showcasing our plans for the projects legacy in Cranhill, so come along and help us celebrate the hard work of everyone involved!”
Lawrence McCabe, Community Regeneration Manager at Thenue Housing, said:
“It’s hard to believe that Urban Green is coming to an end, the time has gone in so quickly and so much has been achieved. With so many people getting involved with the project, through community growing or taking steps to reduce their energy use, it feels right that our final event should be a celebration and a bit of a party. We hope that those people who have been actively involved as volunteers and those organisations like Cranhill Development Trust that we have worked with will continue the good work into the future.”
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Contacts/Details
Enchanted Garden Party 18.04.16 4pm-6pm, Cranhill Development Trust 109 Bellrock St, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G33 3HE.
Over the last few weeks, artists from Impact Arts have been working with secondary pupils from Greenfaulds, Cumbernauld Academy and St Maurice’s high school to explore their ideas for ‘Living Windows’ (see our earlier blog post on this) to be installed at three sites across Cumbernauld.
The pupils have been participating in lively discussions about the ‘Windows’ and the kind of public art that would encourage more local people to visit Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve, Cumbernauld Glen and St Maurice’s Pond.
In their first session, the pupils discussed public art and their likes and dislikes such as the Kelpies, murals and street art, and yarn bombing. Splitting into groups, they worked together to discuss their own ideas about what should occupy the space. There were some original ideas such as commercial food chains to attract visitors, bike sculptures made of willow, colourful unicorns and some more traditional ideas about cleaning up pond spaces and planting more trees to attract wildlife.
In the second sessions, to help develop and bring their ideas to life, the pupils collaborated on maps of the area, adding in their creative vision. Focussing on colour, scale and texture, they produced 3D pieces of work to start to formulate an answer to the question “what is a living window?”
The next phase of the project is the formation of a steering group comprised of members of the community and pupils from the schools. The group will then decide what the Living Windows will be, and the artworks will be installed by the end of April – we’re excited to see what they look like!
If you would like to get involved in the project, please contact Natalie McFadyen White on 0141 575 3001.
Impact Arts is offering free drama classes for adults and children in Dennistoun. Check out the flyers to see how you can get involved!
