Six artist-led community arts pilot projects have been commissioned for the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme.
The six projects will see artists work with families, farmers, young people, the Women’s Institute, walking groups, local historians.
Led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Fellfoot Forward LPS is a major project to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of a special part of the North West of England, which stretches from the Cumbrian fellside of the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark to the River Eden, and runs north from Melmerby to Hallbankgate.
Fiona Knox, Fellfoot Forward scheme manager, said: “We have been blow away by the response of local artists to create such diverse and fantastic opportunities for the community to discover and re-discover their connections with place, landscape, and heritage, and to share their stories and thoughts for the future in creative, immediate and bold ways.”
The pilot projects selected are:
- Nana Bainbridge’s Pockets – Pull Outs and Hiding Places by The Clifford Movement, which will centre on Melmerby and the surrounding villages. Involving a series of events that will enable participants to explore heritage that resonates with them, find their inner artist, and share common experiences, the process will begin to build a community archive of written histories and ephemera.
- Improvising the landscape by BlueJam Arts will create opportunities for people of all ages from across the Fellfoot area to perform a musical improvisation in response to a specific location. BlueJam Arts hope that people who don’t normally play instruments or sing will take part as well as local musicians of every hue.
- Discovering the landscape through drawing by Lionel Playford will trial an idea that engages family groups of children, parents, and grandparents from Renwick village to explore and appreciate the beauty of nature in their local riparian landscape using outdoor drawing and indoor art making.
- Green to gold – aspects of autumn by Alex Jakob-Whitworth will involve making some scroll map images in the style of James Ogilby, using drawing, painting, textiles, simple printmaking and some small crafted pieces. Inspired by autumnal changes, this project will engage with walking and WI groups, schools, and families.
- Listening as a device by John Coburn and Tim Shaw works with sound and the act of listening as a device to build empathy and connectedness. Aimed at underserved young people in the Little Salkeld area, their practice supports the learning of new skills.
- Fellfoot Tapestry – the people and place by Simon Whalley aims to engage local photographers, teenagers, and people from the farming community from across the Fellfoot Forward LPS area to produce both a physical and a virtual photographic and film exhibition. A physical exhibition will be displayed at a venue within the scheme area as well as online.
Sam Tranter, Fellfoot Forward community engagement office, said: “This is a great opportunity for people to join in and do something inspiring and fun.
“I know the artists are itching to put their proposals into practice in the coming months. We plan to share their and the audience’s experiences and final pieces widely through the scheme area and beyond.”
