St Anne’s (2019/20) Creative Community Mapping
Creative Community Mapping – St Anne’s was the initial six–month phase of a project to map and celebrate St Anne’s.
Bricks commissioned local resident and social practice artist Jo Bushell to work with the St Anne’s community to identify activities, groups and a building which they would like to see reach full, creative potential for use by the community.
With the support of the artist; any local residents who would like to have their say were given the opportunity to take part in a series of fun, engaging and welcoming events where, together, they will re-imagine their community space. By looking at examples of other inspiring plans of community spaces, which have already been brought into reality; the group will create their own creative community plan – a new narrative for the people of St Anne’s based on what is already valued and loved but also what could be initiated.
To reach as broad a catchment of the community as possible, we are connecting in many different ways, including through creative micro-commissions, sessions within other events/groups, informal outreach, through social media sites and accessible workshops so that the community plan created brings into being a space for all the community; where people feel connected, creative and valued.
Through open invitation, an Action Group of 9 local community members has been formed to lead the project. St Anne’s Action Group are: writing creative briefs for a series of micro-commissions, exploring formats to learn from other projects and shaping how this can be shared back through a community event.
This initial ‘mapping’ phase of the project is funded by National Lottery Awards for All England and Nisbet Trust and was intended to conclude at the end of May 2020.
Due to Covid19 the project was suspended spring 2020, and was reworked in August 2020.
Micro Commissions
We ran an open call for creative projects to engage communities in St Anne’s, the Action Group reviewed the submissions and announced the projects supported.
Film/ photography by Josh Adam Jones
Animation by Ash Kayser
Words by Jo Bushell