“It’s opened my eyes to art a bit more. I used to hate art in school, but it’s made me realise it’s not all about drawing perfectly – you can be creative in different ways.” – Hollie, Creative Pathways Participant
Our Creative Pathways Riverside Development Programme came to an end last week with the final showcase by the Clyde Walkway in Dalmarnock.
Over the course of 10 weeks a group of 16 and 17 year olds worked together to create amazing public art to brighten up the Clyde Walkway while also developing their creative, personal and employability skills – learning interview skills, building their CV’s, working with the general public and improving their technical abilities all while growing in confidence for the future ahead of them!
The young people worked alongside the Riverside Dalmarnock Development, which are bringing 562 new homes to the area and held a public consultation at Glasgow Green during the European Championships 2018 to get to know what improvements the people of Glasgow would like to see in their local areas.
All the artwork was made from recycled materials from McTaggart Construction utilising plastic pipes, rivets, aluminium sheets and wood to create interactive and environmental sculptures – creating sounds with the weather and even ‘rain sticks’: plastic pipes filled with pasta and rice which is attached to the wall and allowed to spin, creating the effect of rain fall.
The young people also researched the area of Dalmarnock and using the areas heritage to inform their creativity – Dalmarnock Dye Works was once famous for creating the dye Turkey Red. Using this information the group created a series of flags with the Glasgow Coat of Arms in the famous colour.
The showcase and programme was a huge success, both on a personal level for the Young People, who will take the skills they have developed with them in their next steps, and for the Dalmarnock which in the future will reap the benefits of the developments and community driven public art.
This programme was funded by Our Bright Future, Big Lottery Fund, SDS Glasgow, Inspiring Scotland, the Gannochy Trust, McTaggart Construction and Link Group.