Arts Projects in Profile

The outcome of the Creative Paths Arts Programme is an exciting and vibrant range of projects that have taken place in a variety of youth, education, early years, play and community settings with a wide range of children and young people of all different ages and backgrounds across Northern Ireland.

The Experience of a Creative Paths Project
It is important to evaluate the outcomes and benefits for the participants of each project. In an effort to share the experiences of participants with others we have showcased a variety of the completed arts projects here.

Projects are about more than just the artwork produced. The developmental and creative benefits of these arts projects for children and young people are undeniable.

They stimulate and develop creativity, foster teamwork and communication, encourage problem solving and language development, increase awareness of environmental issues, the chance to learn about the world around them, as well as acquire practical artistic skills. Projects can also provide the opportunity to address serious problems like violence and drug misuse, or to become more aware of wider community issues, while intergenerational projects help foster a sense of community.

Perhaps more importantly it provides children with the chance to experience something new and different that is fun and enjoyable, that leads to them developing their confidence and self esteem.

Browse the library of previous projects profiled here and be inspired!

Celebration Special Schools Animations Project

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

'Celebration' Special Schools - Creative Paths Project

Play Resource joined in the ‘Celebration’ of Special Schools Animations Project today, when the Black Box was transformed into a glittering awards venue to host the event. The showcase event was the first ever Special Schools Extended Schools Gala Awards Ceremony. It was the culmination of an exciting Creative Paths Arts Project, made possible by the support of the Arts Council of NI and BELB Extended Schools Department. It brought 6 special schools within Belfast to work together to explore the theme of ‘Celebration’ through the medium of animation. Each school showcased their work on the big screen to see who would be awarded overall winner. It certainly generated some healthy competition between schools!! Anna Lo, MLA joined in the occasion by presenting the awards.

The six schools involved; Fleming Fulton, Harberton, Glenveagh, Cedar Lodge, Park, and Oakwood all created their own short animation exploring what celebration meant to them. Each school shared time with artist Colin McGookin over a 6 weeks period. During the process all the children learned to work together, tried out new skills using various mediums including cut outs and model making to create their animation. But probably the best outcome is that they clearly all had great fun!! To see the action packed short films narrated by the children visit the website Harberton Special School to see the finished results.

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Our Story: Annual Review 09/10 released

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

If every picture tells a story then this years Annual Review 0910 certainly tells lots of stories!! With a new format this issue shows another year of exciting developments, events, services and Creative Paths art projects in profile on pages 16 to 24. The fresh look offers us the chance to tell our story with even more action packed colourful images. The snap shot of the year on page 5 even manages to make statistics look fun and exciting…honest – take a look for yourself!

A special thanks goes to our industry suppliers for all those fabulous scrap materials, we are especially pleased to welcome IKEA to our list of waste partners.

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‘Our View’ Teenage Project – Quaker Cottage

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Creative Paths Project – Youth

Quaker Cottage, North Belfast
Project: ‘Our View’ Teenage Project
Artist: Rita Duffy
Age Group: 14-19
Participants: x 21
Special Project over 6 months

Funding from BBC Children In Need enabled us to build on our partnership with the Quaker Cottage. It facilitated a 6 month arts project giving 21 teenagers from North and West Belfast, aged 14-19, the opportunity to explore and express their story. ‘Our View’ is the culmination this project.

“How often do we allow ourselves the time to reflect upon our lives? How often are young people given the opportunity to be heard? And how often do people really listen?”

Quaker Cottage provided a safe place where young people were given time, space and support for critical reflection. This art project has provided each teenager with an opportunity to delve into their past and put this experience into words and pictures. Through short interviews with artist Rita Duffy and youth worker Rory Doherty, each teenager was given the chance to capture and share their story.

Creative Paths gave these young people at Quaker Cottage the opportunity to use art as a tool to explore aspects of their own past. Through the artistic process, they produced a visual re-enactment of their experiences. It is not always easy to ‘tell your story’ especially if the story deals with the pain, loss, despair or trauma that these young people have experienced on a daily basis. The project became a means of communicating feelings of isolation and suffering, but also hopes for the future.

Artist, Rita Duffy worked closely with the young people to help them become the author of their own personal story expressed through text, drawings and photographs. Each person felt empowered and listened to by taking a central role in the storytelling, editing and publishing of the book illustrating their lives. At a time when they are often ignored, neglected and simply not heard, it has been a personal healing journey for each participant. It has allowed them to connect with their own inspirational courage.

What emerges from ‘Our View’ is a powerful sense that these young people feel left behind by the system there to support young people, but in reality it has allowed many of them to simply fall through the gaps. They often find themselves with no qualifications and limited opportunities. They live in a society divided with peace walls and locked gates keeping communities apart. For them Belfast has been experienced as a place where the emphasis is on divided lives, and happy lives seem to have been forgotten.

Their hope is that their stories will make a difference to other young people and serve to promote an understanding of young Belfast lives. To read their stories, in their own words and see their drawings and images, click here to download the book Our View Book.

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Ligoniel Community Centre – The Giant

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Creative Paths Project – Youth

Ligoniel Community Centre, North Belfast
Project: Kids Arts & Crafts Club
Artist: Shauna McCann
Age Group: 7-10
Participants: x15
12 hours, over 8 weeks

During the course of the year Creative Paths worked with 10 different Belfast City Council centres. The programme supported their play work activities as well contributing to You Can Play 2 Day annual training event, and gave children and young people across Belfast access to experienced artists to develop a wide variety of arts projects. This is the story of one of them…

The children from Ligoniel Community Centre came up with the idea of creating the Giant from the Jack & the Beanstalk fairytale to use as a height measure for the Sure Start infant group in their centre. After meeting with artist, Shauna McCann, it was agreed to create a 3D piece that would seem ‘giant’ in proportion to the children using it!

One of the children lay on a large piece of card and the rest of the group traced around him to get a rough outline of the Giant’s body. Crushing up balls of newspaper they attached them using Papier Mache techniques to give shape to the Giant’s body. Once dry, the body was covered in masking tape before the whole group took turns painting different parts, adding details like t-shirt, boots, hair and face. Gradually he took on the appearance of a ‘real’ Giant.

The beanstalk was made using the same method. The background was painted blue and clouds were added along the bottom, using cotton wool for texture. This gave the impression of the beanstalk coming up into the sky from beneath the Giant’s feet. Finally the height measure was added. The children used a measuring tape to mark out different heights up the side of the beanstalk.

The project was a great success not only giving the children and opportunity to have fun, it had the added benefit of contributing to the nursery. The completed piece was exhibited at the Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast. The children were proud of their entry to the No Limits Art Exhibition facilitated by AdaptNi, an organisation helping to Build Equality and Inclusion for all in culture, arts and leisure venues.

Ligoniel Giant

Ligoniel Exhibition 2

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St. Patricks & St Josephs Primary School – Mosaics from Nature

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Creative Paths Project – Education

St. Patricks & St Josephs Primary School, Garvagh
Project: Mosaic
Artist: Dawn Aston
Age Group: 8 -11
Participants: x 40, x 2 teachers
20 hours

The federated primary school is based on two sites, and lucky to be located in a rural site close to areas of natural beauty surrounded by a bog, mountains, forest and river. This project grew out of the school’s desire to link art with the local environment, as well as giving children the chance to develop their artistic skills by creating a piece of art that would be enjoyed for years to come by them, their siblings, relatives and school community.

The idea was for P5-P7 pupils to participate in a project in small class groups, creating a mosaic and painting inspired by their local environment Garvagh Forest, the Agivey River, the Glenullin Bog and hills. Their teachers were keen to access the skills of professional artist through Creative Paths to learn more about mosaic and support their pupils to create a permanent work of art. They were paired with artist Dawn Aston who specialises in mosaic, painting, and environmental art.

“At our initial meeting we discussed using the environmental theme, I was very impressed with Dawn’s professionalism. She listened to my ideas and carefully explored the area around the school in search of further inspiration. Dawn combined my ideas and her own, as well as the children’s thoughts about combining a mural and mosaic for the wall at the entrance of the site”.
Claire Kelly, Teacher

“When Dawn began working with our P7 class, their enthusiasm was immense. They thrived on doing art that required them to develop new skills and work with unusual materials. The glass tiles were exceptional and Dawn also brought along some with patterns that the children used for eyes and other details. The mosaic project grew from strength to strength, as children developed their own individual mosaic designs.”
Mrs McGill, Teacher

As the project progressed and evolved the main focus fell on the completion of the mosaics which combined each child’s individual piece; a bird, leaf, flower, bug, ladybird, hedgehog and butterfly. The overall effect was fantastic! Clearly taking their inspiration from local wildlife each child revealed a great eye for detail, good use of colour and design which together produced a mosaic that all passers by could enjoy and admire!