Council projects
We develop projects that are to do with building a feeling of being proud to come from Walsall, to live and to work here. We have a number of different approaches, from being involved in developing Council officers’ presentation skills to working on developing creative thinking in the organisation. We have helped to develop and manage the large scale youth involvement project, Ready Steady Summer, and funded and produced the council's first ever community play, Walsall's War.
Walsall's War
A team of theatre professionals and 100 Walsall young people took to the stage in September 2005 for Walsall’s very first large scale community play. Set in a specially constructed amphitheatre in Walsall Arboretum and watched by some 1000 people, the play told the stories of the experiences of Walsall folk during the second World War.
Walsall's War was dedicated to all Walsall people, from Willenhall to Brownhills, from Pelsall to Pheasey and all points in between, who fought and died or fought and lived through the conflict. Without their sacrifice, their bravery, their determination to see it through, our world would be a very different place today. The play was an attempt to let those who may not be as familiar with those times to relive them through the energetic and committed performances of the young cast.
The play was about the future, too. Walsall has a brave past and the efforts of the cast, musicians, dancers and crew showed Walsall's ability to seize opportunities in both hands and make things happen. As a part of the Ready Steady Summer programme, the play was an opportunity for young actors to have the experience of performing in a large cast, with full technical support, in the open air. These opportunities do not come along every day!
Walsall's War was a real Walsall cultural team effort. The play was funded through a successful Lottery bid, supported by Walsall Council. David Calcutt, a Walsall resident and professional playwrite, researched and wrote the script. History groups across the borough and the Local Museum service helped him to do this. People who lived through the war wrote in or were interviewed for their stories which formed the basis of the text. Walsall Creative Development Team in partnership with the Events Team and a number of Walsall based artists produced and directed the show.
Descendents of All the World
A Community Cohesion Project ‘The Descendants of all the Worlds’
‘The Descendants of all the Worlds’ is a nationwide project that is led by the organisation ‘Heartstone’. The exhibition has been on display in Walsall at The Blakenall Village Centre, Forest Arts Centre, Palfrey Community Centre, Walsall College and St. Paul’s The Crossing. It has featured, photographs from Afghanistan, The Balkans, Auschwitz, Brick Lane in London and Kosovo.
‘Heartstone’ uses real-life stories from across the globe using photojournalism as the as the foundation for its communication. The images are strictly not manipulated, cropped, or staged in any way to provide a true reflection of any actual event, this has enabled ‘Heartstone’ photographer Nick Sidle to document difficult locations and communities who may have not allowed previously, photographs to be taken. The fundamental philosophy of ‘Heartstone’ is to respect other people’s experiences and viewpoints, and to challenge racism and intolerance. It aims to recognise that there are overwhelming similarities of the human experience regardless of their race, background, nationality and culture, and that as human beings we are more similar than different.
The Neighbourhood Partnerships Team on behalf of The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) has brought the Heartstone project to Walsall and in addition has funded a unique element, a participatory arts project working with local people. This has been developed and managed by Walsall Council, Creative Development Team.
Four very different groups have discussed the content and meaning behind the exhibition, and have been asked to create images of their own using digital camera’s. Artsworker and photographer Kate Green has led these discussions and has been facilitating the groups in photography skills. The images aim to reflect the different communities within Walsall and to bring a sense of belonging and pride.
Essentially this project has been a cohesion-related initiative. Through the meaningful interaction between individuals taking part in the project, and the thoughts behind the images taken, it aims to recognise that there is a commonality between the different communities and individuals and that we can all be proud of our ‘Friendly’ town.
The groups that have taken part in the project have been a group of Young people from Blakenall, students from Walsall College, a group of women from the Caldmore and Palfrey area, and a group of over 50’s.
An educational showreel showing many of the images taken during the lifetime of the project will be available to display at schools, and educational centres such as museums, art galleries and youth centres from November 2008.
For more information view the HeartStone site
Youth Crime Prevention Project
The creative development team were contacted by the youth offending team in January 2008 to set up and manage an arts project working with a group eight to twelve year olds. The aim of the project was to look at the issue of Anti-Social behaviour and how it affects people, and in particular how anti-Social behaviour can have a detrimental effect on the community.
The project contracted two artsworkers to carry out the sessions. Jason Nyler from Rice Designs facilitated the first four sessions and led the group in making their own short animation film. The group began by making clay figures that would represent themselves and learned how to make a film by taking many pictures of the figure’s moving them gradually between each shot. The young people then moved on to create a story of a market scene and dramatized how a market trader had some items stolen and also had his stall set on fire. The scene was filmed in split second intervals to create an animation. The group then discussed the impact that this would have on the market trader.
The next part of the project was facilitated by visual artsworker Peter Chaplain, who created with the group different pieces of art for the young people to take home with them. This included cartoon images of themselves, and posters using light and a special camera to create a light swirling effect. The group made other various creative arts pieces using drawing and collage. Each participant was asked to reflect on what they would like to be doing as a dream career and how they saw themselves in the future. Discussion also took place on disruptive behaviour and how it can have a negative affect.
Every member of the group said they would love to become involved in another arts project, and that it had made them think about themselves and their own behaviour.
Contact us
For more information on this project please contact:
Claire Taylor
Arts Development Officer for the Creative Development Team
Telephone 01922 653114
Email tayorc@walsall.gov.uk
This page was last updated on 22 January 2010