Calman ArtWorks’s Urban v Nature Event
24 Jul 2011 in Highland, Visual Arts & Crafts
For one week in August, Artysans café in Inverness will be totally transformed from its usual calming pale blue and yellow paintwork and will covered with large scale vinyl graphics from floor to ceiling. Working on the theme of Urban V Nature, a group of 40 young people from across Highland have been taking part in the Calman ArtWorks Project. Working with Elgin based visual artist, Lynne Strachan, the group have designed and created images on the theme of Urban V Nature, with a personal twist.
“We chose the theme Urban V Nature because it’s everywhere. It’s like a constant battle between the two, ands it’s good to bring it up and raise awareness about what’s going on around us. We’re ruining the planet right now, and people see it, but they’re not really seeing it because they’re not really looking” says Gemma, one of the young people involved in the design and creation of images for the project. “I’ve learned lots about graphics and about design. Being part of the project has helped me get a better perspective. I’m more confident about coming up with my own ideas and now I’ve got the confidence to stick with them. I’ve also made some good friends in the group”.
“The aim of the project is to encourage people who previously have had little or no experience in the arts to give it a try” says Ferga Perry, Calman’s Inspiring Arts Coordinator. “Lots of young people we work with at Calman think art has nothing to offer them, and that it’s for an exclusive, wealthy, educated, older section of society. This project has really turned things around for them. Young people are really at the centre of this event- it’s their project, their theme and their creative ideas which have shaped the event. The art work they have created working with Lynne is really breath taking. It’s about their response to the theme, not what they’ve been told would look good”. Danielle, one of the young people working with Lynne, agrees. “It’s been great fun designing images. I’ve done very little art before and I’m really surprised by the quality of what we’ve done. I thought it looked good on the computer, but seeing in its full size in the café is amazing!”
Young people have been involved in all aspects of the event; short listing and interviewing artists, marketing the event to maximize audience numbers, sitting on the steering group, designing and creating the artwork itself, and re-instating the café after the event to its previous look are all tasks which will be completed by the young people. The café team at Artysans have also been involved, creating a new range of menu specials on the Urban/ Nature theme. The event is an Inspiring Communities project supported by National Lottery funding from Creative Scotland and the Highland Culture Fund.
This is year one of a three year long project which will grow in ambition and scope as the project progresses. The aim is that young people will be inspired to continue their involvement in the arts across the project, and that some will be inspired to develop their skills further than the scope of the project.
Calman work with young people in Highland who leave school without a plan for the future or who experience difficulty with their home circumstances. For more information about the event visit www.artysans.org.uk/calmanartworks or to find out more about Calman go to www.calman.org
Calman ArtWorks: Urban V Nature is on from 8th to 13th August at Artysans’s Café, 7 Strothers Lane, Inverness from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Source: Calman Trust