'Lets Create' Jubilee Arts Council grant
We’re excited to announce that the Art Studio has been awarded A 'Lets Create' Jubilee Arts Council grant to work on a project with Goostrey Primary School.
This is the studio's first major funded project which will involve a a team of artists, HCCS volunteers and children from the primary school designing a plaque to go on permanent display at the station, with the help of FOGS members we hope to share people's own history and memories of the coronation and past jubilees.
In July we will be inviting everyone involved in the project along to make their own jubilee plaques at a celebration event at the studio and station.
Through the Platinum Plaque Project we aim to explore the legacy of hopes, dreams and aspirations of children living in Goostrey in 2022. Through intergenerational workshops with older residents in the village, children will explore the history of Goostrey and through their own lens create designs for wall plaques that celebrate their own history in the making. Children from Years 4 from Goostrey Community Primary School will work closely with artists Fiona Forster and Debbie Goldsmith to develop their own designs capturing a moment in time of what childhood represents in 2022.
Looking back with older residents from the village, children will have the opportunity to explore the rich history of the local farming community and set up dialogues and discussions around the residents own childhood that will feed into the designs the children will create. We will explore heraldry, citizenship and family history through exploring ideas for designs of the plaques.
The art workshops will take place between school and the newly formed community art studio, the intention is to capture the imagination of the community to announce the presence of the new space and strength links and support between the school, the local communities and the station, raising awareness of the offer, strengthening links between the local community, making local volunteering opportunities visible , strengthening community cohesion and promoting well-being through engagement and activities.
The project will bring different age groups together who will take part in ‘Getting to Know Goostrey’ sessions and practical hands on ‘Platinum Plaque making’ art sessions over a period of days to develop designs for the ‘platinum plaques’ through practical relief printmaking techniques and working with clay, giving children the opportunity to explore new skills, techniques and materials, working alongside artists Fiona Forster and Debbie Goldsmith who have a proven track record in working with communities of all ages and levels.
The children will get first hand experience of exploring new materials and techniques to create their designs. Students from the local Sixth form college will be offered the opportunity of supporting the workshops through volunteering opportunities, the aim is to encourage travel via the railway from Holmes Chapel to Goostrey, widening the audience to the project and the art studio and at the same time opening up new opportunities for volunteering in the visual arts. Students would be encouraged to volunteer on all aspects of the project from planning to delivery of the project.
The designs will be formed into high quality produced plaques that will go on permanent display on the outside wall of the station which already has a number of plaques that celebrate the community's involvement.
The Platinum Plaques will be a permanent legacy for the community of Goostrey and accessible to all rail users for the line. Filmaker Jake Ryan will photograph and film the project in order to record and evaluate the project and this will provide a lasting legacy of the community involvement and will be showcased across the FOGS social media as well as through the Northern Rail Community Rail Networks in order to promote the community work from FOGS and the community arts space.