Blog 3: Art Council Application Process Reflection 

Before attempting to answer the application for the Arts Council England £30k Under National Lottery Project Grant, I did a deep dive research on the definition of Participatory art. I was recommended the books: Artificial Hells Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship (Claire Bishop, 2012) and The One and the Many: Contemporary Collaborative Art in a Global Context (Grant H. Kester, 2011). I used these books as the basis of my research.

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Artificial Hells gave an in-depth examination of participatory art as a political and social phenomenon. Bishop argues that participatory art can challenge traditional power structures but also acknowledges the complexities and limitations. One of the book's key themes is the issue of audience agency. Bishop argues that participatory art often calls for the active involvement of the spectator, which raises important questions about the dynamics of power and control. Bishop explores how participatory art can empower audiences but also considers the potential dangers of giving audiences too much control. The book concludes with a discussion of the future of participatory art, suggesting that the form is likely to continue to evolve and change as new technologies and social movements emerge. This book gave me an insightful and thought-provoking examination of participatory art as a political and social phenomenon. It provides valuable insights into the potential of participatory art as a tool for resistance and empowerment.

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The One and the Many examine the theme of collaboration in contemporary art, focusing on how artists work together to produce collective works of art globally. The book considers collaborative art's historical and theoretical foundations, how it has developed over time, and the challenges and opportunities presented by the increasingly interconnected and globalised art world. Kester explores the relationships between artists and their audiences, the role of institutions in shaping and supporting collaborative practices, and the impact of technology on the creation and distribution of collaborative art. Throughout the book, Kester uses many case studies to illustrate his arguments, including collaborative projects from around the world and various artistic disciplines. The One and the Many offer a comprehensive overview of collaborative art practices in a global context and provide valuable insights for artists, curators, and art historians alike. 

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These two books gave me insight into different types of participatory art and helped me understand how to approach participation in art sessions. As an artist specialising in collaboration in local communities, I have yet to research the methods that take place as I feel that when working with people, these methods come naturally. I was given clarification of why artists work with people; it is not about the aesthetics of the outcome in the artwork but the skills in communication, knowledge of the art skills, raising issues by creating a voice and social connections, which drive the participatory practice. The purpose was always to create benefits for the participants. 

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After writing Blog 1: Definition, I read the Arts Council England Strategy 2020 to 2030 to understand the Arts Council’s vision and if my practice and intention in my work would align with their strategy. 

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The Arts Council aims to make England known as one of the most creative countries in the world through public investment in creativity and culture. This strategy aims to promote creativity and culture by providing more opportunities for people to develop their creative potential and experience high-quality culture. The distinction between creativity and culture is made as creativity refers to the process of making something new, while culture is the result of that creative process. By supporting both, society can benefit from their power to inspire, unite communities and bring joy. This strategy aims to recognise and support every person in the country's creative activities and cultural experiences over the next ten years.

Keeping this aim in mind, I started to reflect on my work and what I could propose where my artistic skill could be used for a project. I have had an ongoing relationship with the youth organisation Project4Change. I have been given opportunities of working with their young people, such as designing and painting the Cowgate mural and 8-week Tote bag painting sessions. I wanted to centralise my project on something current to the community of Blakelaw. 

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On January 5th 2022, I attended a Porject4Change staff meeting with the CEO of Project4Change and all the youth workers. There was a discussion of what is still needed in the Blakelaw community. The CEO reminded me of my exhibition Stolen. I presented Stolen at the University of Sunderland in the Priestmen Gallery from April 25th to 29th, 2022.

 

Stolen is about an issue locally at Blakelaw, Newcastle. The construction of a new football/sports hub in Blakelaw Park disregarded the voice of local young people to achieve its aims and resulted in the demolition of their skatepark. The build will generally be a good thing for Blakelaw. However, the facts show how the matter has been handled. The young people who wanted the skatepark to remain lost. This issue in Blakelaw Park has been discussed since 2019 when I volunteered in the organisation. However, the physical demolition of the skatepark and playground began in January 2022 with the construction of the sports hub.  

The issue of Stolen is still discussed with the young people even during the building. A continuation project needs to happen for Stolen, as the issue still concerns young people. The exhibition Stolen already uses comments from young people about how they feel about their park being demolished and what it meant to them. It highlights their words showing their importance as Blakelaw skatepark was a place of refuge and socialisation. To strengthen this exhibition, adding something visual and 3D needs to be made and designed by the young people. 

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I created The Ultimate Skatepark Project. The ultimate skate park project is a reimagining 3D scaled paper mache-based diorama of a beloved skatepark that once stood at Blakelaw park before the construction of the new football/sports hub with a 5-day exhibition of Stolen with the diorama at the Farrel Centre.

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While crafting my idea for the project, I knew preliminary steps needed to be included as I assisted multiple community artists on their projects at Project4Change. To plan this project in writing, I wrote nine essential questions in a blog and answered them to get an idea of how I will structure this project:

• What is your project idea? 

• Who will be involved in the project? 

• What are the approaches to the project? 

• Where is this held project? 

• What is the time frame?

• What will the outcome be? 

• How will the people involve in the project benefit?

• How does this project develop my practice?

• What is the budget for this project?

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When writing my plan, I initially thought of creating a skatepark sculpture, and I remembered a sculpture technique I learnt in my first year of university, plaster casting. Plaster casting is where you make your sculpture on terracotta clay with a wood and metal base first, create a plaster cast around it, and finally fill it with plaster. The outcome would be a plaster sculpture; this technique doesn’t require a kiln. I thought this would be a good sculpture idea. I would have to bring in a sculpture artist to the project to help with the sculpture's casting as I am not a sculpture artist myself, meaning the sculpture will have to move a few times. I also thought this would be a good opportunity for the young people to learn an art sculpting technique as they might have never done before. 

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However, this technique needed to be simplified and would be unheard of by most young people. I wanted the young people to develop their creativity and strategies that they already knew, so I opted for something more straightforward so that they could take the artistic techniques they learned outside of the project. During secondary school, I remember creating dioramas, a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or large scale. Doing a diorama would be more fitting to the project as we can create a 3D structure out of easy-to-purchase materials. The base can be created using paper mache made from cardboard, newspaper, tissue, PVA glue and water mixture. By using this method, the young people who have heard of this technique or have had previous experience making it can even take the lead and help those who don’t know, making this project a collaborative piece. 

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Deciding to change artistic techniques to create a diorama sculpture will involve me being the prominent artist in the project and no longer needing to bring in another artist of a different speciality. The sessions will be held at their youth centre, Betty’s Hut, with two youth workers in every art-making session. I think it is essential to include youth workers overseeing the project making. The young people must see adults they are familiar with and see weekly, creating a relaxed work environment. 

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The Ultimate skatepark project aims to provide a space for young people to discuss the meaning of the skatepark to their community. This will allow them to create confidence in communication and social skills. This collaborative piece relies on social inclusion, allowing participants to make friends and build community towards an end goal. The young and youth workers overseeing the sessions can enhance their art knowledge and skill by learning and using materials and methods they may have yet to encounter. 

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The exhibition that will be held will be what could be used to convince the council to build a new permanent skatepark in the Blakelaw area.