As part of Artists’ Agency Newcastle we offered free real life learning training for artists and future artists who wanted to learn how to develop participatory and community-based arts projects.
The 12 artists who took part in the training programme each received a £500 bursary and had the chance to pitch for a paid commission of up to £5000 to make a public artwork with the community in the Creative Central:NCL area.
Running between July and September 2023, the training helped artists gain key skills in creative production, enterprise development, working in regeneration areas and public art. The artists produced plans across the workshops for a participatory arts project to create a public artwork and pitched their ideas to get them funded.
We were pleased to share previously that the first two of the Artists’ Agency commissions for Creative Central: NCL were awarded to Rachael Brien to realise her project, Newborn Parents and Sofia Barton and Lindsay Nicholson for their project Younity. These projects are now well underway and we are looking forward to sharing the details of the public artwork outcomes from them which will be installed in the Creative Central Newcastle area soon.
We are now excited to announce the third project commission has been awarded to Eden Chapman-Maurice for her project Clay in the City.
Eden is a ceramicist and painter. Half Welsh and Maltese, she now resides in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her practice is based on Maltese folklore and Neolithic history and much of her work focuses on reimagining female characters from myths and folklore. Her work invites viewers to embrace a world where women stand as giants, crafting their destinies with strength and autonomy. Recently Eden is venturing into creative facilitation, expanding her role to inspire and support others in their artistic journeys.
Eden’s public artwork project commissioned for the CCN as part of Artists’ Agency: Newcastle is Clay in the City. Clay in the City is a series of ceramic classes, in Grainger Market, aimed at providing home educated children and their families with quality ceramic classes that they may not otherwise be able to access. It will also provide the opportunity to exhibit the work they create and give them a rare space in the city centre where they are welcomed and can express themselves as a often misunderstood community.
For more information or to get involved please get in touch with Eden.
