A partnership between Craftspace and the University of Wolverhampton.
Part of the AHRC’s Connecting Communities programme.
Professor Black at Oaklands Community Centre
A partnership between Craftspace, the University of Wolverhampton and Soho House Museum.
Part of the AHRC’s Connecting Communities programme.
Handsworth, Birmingham
Autumn-Winter 2017
Maker-Centric research project explores how the act of making can help bring communities together to form and shape a sense of identity and heritage.
Get involved
Do you live in Handsworth, Birmingham and craft or make things for pleasure or work? We want to hear from you!
Sewing, woodwork, model making, sugar craft, glass, jewellery, pottery, ceramics, knitting, dress making, metalwork, basketry, mosaic, paper craft, card making, printing, leather work, millinery, weaving, embroidery and more…
We believe that craft and making is good for health and wellbeing and helps to maintain social connections between people in communities.
Get in touch to tell us what you do or groups you are involved in:
Contact: Deirdre Figueiredo: 0121 608 6668, [email protected], facebook.com/craftspace, instagram: @craftspace_ Twitter @tweetcraftspace
The project
Two groups are co-producing research with artists to create objects that reflect and tell the hidden stories of region’s shared heritage. One group will be based in Birmingham at Soho House Museum working with artist Melanie Tomlinson, whilst the other group will be based in Wolverhampton in Hope Community and Gatis Community Space working with artists Laura Onions and Gavin Rogers. There is a project blog.
The project is a partnership between Craftspace and the University of Wolverhampton. It is an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Connected Communities funded programme and builds on the findings of our previous Co-Producing CARE: Community Asset-Based Research and Enterprise project https://cocreatingcare.wordpress.com/co-creating-heritage-birmingham
Maker-Centric Birmingham is led by Craftspace in partnership with Soho House Museum in Handsworth, home of the industrialist Matthew Boulton from 1766-1809. We are also working in partnership with Fab Lab West Bromwich using new technologies to produce elements of artwork.
A craft group based at Soho House Museum have become creative ambassadors. Together we are researching what craft activity people in Handsworth do and what skills they have. The information gathered will be visualised into an artwork to be displayed at Soho House.
The aim is to find out whether creative/craft skills are valued as a local community asset. If so, how can this resource be activated for the common good of the local community?
