Our annual review video is now on YouTube! Please spend a few minutes out of your day to see all the ways in which RAW has grown in 2019. We have delivered AT LEAST 118 separate workshop sessions, reached 439 people directly with our work and collaborated with at least 19 different agencies Here are a few standout moments, though these get added to daily! Here are a few more images from what has been a 'full on' year, delivering high quality bespoke art sessions to all sorts of community groups:
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Working with BID Services Youth ClubMay 6-12th was Deaf Awareness Week in the UK. RAW delivered several projects including one with BID Services Youth Club, Birmingham based around Deaf identity. It followed on from an earlier project we ran with adults in Wolverhampton where we created a giant (5ft high) cardboard sculpture of signing hands, decorated with posters, drawings and words made by Deaf and hearing people (see photos at the bottom of this blog). Young people with the final giant signing hands, now in the reception of BID SERVICES. Some of the brilliant creative work being made. Deaf Awareness at Mossley Community Arts ClubOur very own #DAWRoleModels2019 Gary O'Dowd led a Deaf Awareness session as part of our regular Community Arts Club on Tuesday evenings, 4.30-6.30pm at Mattesley Court, Walsall. Giant signing hands for DeafFest 2019A slideshow of closeups of the artwork created by mixed hearing and Deaf people at our joint Art Day with Zebra Access at Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton.
The sculpture will be on show at Deaffest at Lighthouse Media Centre 17-19 May 2019. RAW will have at stall 10am-4pm on Saturday 18th May. Come and meet us! 2019 has seen us working with a wide range of ages already. We love to hear the stories from adults and also enjoy when they take ownership of their own work. Some examples of our work with the older generation are here. Greetings Cards at BID Services: Gary led on this session at Deaf Cultural Centre in Birmingham. The artists used traditional card making techniques such as decoupage and collage as well as new technology – typesetting and sourcing images online which can be printed off during the session to create truly bespoke cards for loved ones. Presentation to ZEBRA ACCESS Coffee morning at Lighthouse Media Centre. We made a Wish Tree and Deaf people wrote on tags what they’d like from a potential Art Club. We also encouraged them to make small drawings which were hung on the tree. Despite many protestations of ‘I can’t draw’ I think you’ll agree the results beg to differ. It was really encouraging to see such imaginative work and watch this space to see if we get to produce more work with the Zebra Access group. Card making at Pensnett and Brierley Hill Active Retirement. Similar to the session at BID Services, this time we met a secret poet. A 92 year old gentleman wrote and recited his own poem about the pros and cons of drinking spirits! It went down a bomb with everyone – a real tonic!
2018 has been an amazing year for RAW (watch the short video above). It's the year we really reignited the flame of Real Arts Workshops, which began life as a university art project in 1996 and then went on hold for the best part of 20 years. We've forged new relationships with 13 organisations, delivered (over) 75 separate workshop sessions and designed at least 15 brand new and unique projects - all with the same goal: to break down barriers, improve confidence and encourage self expression. In a climate of austerity never has there been such a need for the restorative powers of art, music and craft. People of all ages get affected by issues of mental health and our projects are designed to be accessible by all, regardless of perceived barriers.
We are currently delivering this exciting and immersive art project for Support Plus, across 2 of their centres in Wolverhampton. It will involve joining together pieces of artwork physically and people and communities metaphorically. Support Plus are a day service for adults with a profound and multiple learning disabilities who require high support needs we also support people with physical disabilities to maintain and develop their quality of life. They provide a wide range of day opportunities whilst supporting people to access their local and wider community and The Big Link Up Art Project is one of those opportunities. What is vital to us was that despite of some very profound needs the adults are engaged in decision making and actively making their own marks. We are constantly evolving the project to suit the needs of our clients, investigating various strategies to enable engagement (and enjoyment, if it’s not fun what’s the point?) As one of our team is profoundly Deaf we are integrating sign language lessons into the sessions. This has benefits in terms of another new skill learnt, active engagement and breaking down communication barriers. It is early days with the project but already both centres have their own DREAM TREE’s – which act as the project aims and objectives. We’ve found out about each individual – what colours they like, what they like to eat, where they like to go and who is important to them. Each has indicated to us what size canvas they will be painting on, what colour the background should be and an idea of what they will be painting or making (some are going to be 3D or textural pieces rather than 2D paintings). We are exploring apps which make digital art-making accessible to people with profound disabilities. The examples here are making a vocal sound that produces a unique soundwave and touch screen pattern making apps that respond to an individual’s touch. This project is a perfect example of how RAW approaches its work. We are customer centred, so although we go in with an overarching aim, it is the participants who steer the project. We are versatile and flexible enough to be able to adjust our delivery to ensure the best possible outcomes.
We are really excited to see how the project progresses and will post again in September when we are back onto it. On Tuesday 17th July RAW was at Lyng Community Association Youth Club. To link in with their recent trip to the zoo, we were asked to deliver a session based on animal art. Alex led this session and showed the young people examples of his own animal art: pencil drawings and watercolour paintings, and then demonstrated a drawing - combining new and old technologies. A old video camera was linked to a projector and pointed at the paper as Alex drew a picture of a lion. Charcoal was the primary medium in this workshop because of its immediate and effective mark making capabilities. This suits the drama of animals associated with the safari. The young people then had a choice of animal to draw - this could be Gorilla, Lion, Elephant, Meerkat, Rhino or any other animal they liked. Here are the young people hard at work: And here are some final pieces which were made into a pop up art gallery The last part of the session was dedicated to creating a LARGE, like HUGE painting / collage of a giraffe and a zebra: The final magnificent piece Lyng Community Association Youth Club runs every Tuesday evening in term time, 4-7pm for anyone aged 10-17. More information here
We had a great time at #SciFest2018 on 6th and 7th July 2018. Day One was working with local primary schools and Day Two was open to the public for their Family Day. We made loads of great new connections, our neighbours were wonderful and we even got time to have a little look around at other stallholders. This included making rocket cars with the RAF Museum, looking at the sun through a telescope and making Spirograph type images on a gyroscope. If you weren't able to get to this year's event, please try and make it next year. Here's a few of our favourite snaps... ![]() |
AuthorReal Arts Workshops is an independent arts company based in the Black Country, providing bespoke workshops for various organisations and groups. Archives
January 2025
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