Story bags / ceramics / photography

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2009-10 Story bags/books with Artist  Chris Robinson

The Grange Centre and artist Chris Robinson have been working with elders at the Grange for several years and for the past two years have been exploring local heritage and culture through the arts using an intergenerational approach with Tyne and Wear Museum. This led on directly from a very successful project supported by Northern Rock Foundation which concentrated on Chris working with older people with mental frailty using digital art as a method of reflection in 2005

We have been celebrating older people’s life experiences and giving them a voice to assist future generation’s learning, by collecting their stories using TWM object loan boxes to trigger memories through reminiscence sessions. Some of these memories were captured onto cloth and formed story bags which were then added to the boxes and used by the Tyne & Wear Museums learning teams when working with community groups. These bags proved to be so valuable to individuals that we would like to extend the opportunity for new participants to work for one year with Chris two days a week from April 2009 to march 2010 to make new story bags. These new bags/books would be shared with family, friends, the wider community and children from local schools.

See more images in the story bags / books gallery

2010-2011 Ceramics with Annette Poulson

Through previous projects people have demonstrated how much they enjoy the process of making one-off, personal items in ceramic, where they are involved from start to finish. The artists have built trusting and warm relationships over the past with people who have been making pieces mainly inspired by what they see around them (from gallery visits or source material in the way of books) and although valued and valuable in the terms of building skills and confidence with the material, end up as mini replicas.

Service users have indicated that they are ready to take on more challenging projects, some of the things that have emerged are sculptural self-portraits, personal dinner-sets/place settings.

We are offering this residency to continue encouraging people to be even more creative and brave, to work through the process from a more imaginative and personal angle.

See more images in the Ceramics 2010 gallery

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In stage 3 running from April 2011 we would like to further increase opportunities for our elders to engage in meaningful activities which will stimulate their individual creativity and enrich their lives by enabling them to participate in a completely new art form,

2011-2012 Photography: with Sharon Bailey

This project will employ a photography artist to work with service users two days a week for a year. The project will aim to explore issues of identity and the self, focusing on what makes each of us unique. The person centred approach will work through issues such as important life events, places and objects. The process and the end products of life books will centre on valuing the individual. It is hoped this project would employ professional artist Sharon Bailey who has immense knowledge and experience of working with elders. At the end of the project, individuals will have a collection of photographs which will be set into unique life books to be shared with friends, family, carers etc, many of whom will learn something new about the participant from this experience and therefore once again this project will emphasise the value of the individual.

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This three year project is financially supported by Northern Rock Foundation.