‘Arts for all’

A project to open up the arts to everyone and not just regular culture vultures has culminated in an exhibition of students’ work in Newcastle Gateshead.

‘Arts for all’ has been described as a ‘big idea’ with its aim of welcoming to the arts people who might think that the arts are not their ‘thing’. The project has been funded by fivearts cities and has offered a wide range of courses since Autumn last year.

Removing barriers to learning fits well with the aims of the WEA, so the WEA’s North East region were delighted to take part in the project with TV channel five and the Arts Council England. The project is the second fivearts cities project for the WEA and follows on from a similar initiative in Liverpool, run by the WEA’s North West Region.

Above: Students on the project, members of North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op, stand next to their exhibit.

The exhibition of the students work is running until 26 March at the Visitor Information Centre at Newcastle Guildhall, on Newcastle Quayside.

One of the exhibits, a Co-op Workplace Banner, is pictured above. Local artist tutor Clare Satow led a group of Co-op members in a workshop at the Co-op’s Gateshead store. Designed in the form of a board game, the giant banner was screen-printed, painted and stitched, and shows the hazards and opportunities that lie at all the stages of food production. The members want the banner to raise awareness of the principles of trading fairly and also demonstrate the Co-op’s role in bringing Fairtrade products into mainstream retailing.

Another exhibit, a Kantha Quilt (below) was produced by textile artist Angela Noble and women at the First Step centre in Newscastle. The hand stitching technique is principally used in Bangladesh where Kantha work is a traditional and sociable activity in which women sit and chat while sewing, often using layers of recycled sari fabrics. The project has inspired many of the women to bring back to life something of their own culture by continuing to use the technique in their homes.

Right: Detail from the Kantha quilt on display at the exhibition.

In addition to the examples listed here ‘Arts for All’ has tackled many other forms of art during the project including music, photography, painting and poetry.

For further information on this and other projects in the North East contact:

Workers’ Educational Association
First Floor, Unit 6
Metro Riverside Park
Delta Bank Road
Gateshead
NE11 9DJ
Tel: 0191 461 8100
Fax: 0191 461 8117
Email: northern@wea.org.uk