Art and craft workshops - what we've learnt in the first 3 months
Between January and the end of March, Gateshead-based community arts organisation Dingy Butterflies took up residency in Tyne Derwent Way at Dunston Staiths - the first organisation to use this new community space for the communities of Teams and Dunston.
Nine artists over nine weeks were invited to run community-focused workshops inspired by the history, nature and community surrounding the workshop space as well as Dunston Staiths itself.
Teams, Dunston and the Staiths
Teams and Dunston is a diverse community with new and old housing estates sitting right on the River Tyne along the Tyne Derwent Way route between central Gateshead and the Metrocentre. The old and new estates are separated by a major road that intersects the community with the new housing sitting right on the riverfront and the old estate sitting back behind the road.
Extending out from the shoreline, near to the space where the workshops are held, and near to where the River Team enters the Tyne, stands Dunston Staiths. The last remaining Staiths standing along the river, this large wooden structure was first opened in 1893 to load coal from the North Durham coalfield onto ships. In the 1920s, 140,000 tons of coal per week were loaded from the staiths, and it continued to be used until the late 1970s. Now it stands as a monument to the past but integral to the continuing development of the area and to the community itself. Managed by Tyne And Wear Building Preservation Trust, it is an important part of the developing Tyne Derwent Way route from central Gateshead to Gibside.
What happened in those nine weeks?
Over the course of the nine weeks, each artist ran two workshops per week. One was on a Thursday, 3-5pm, to catch families walking home from the local primary schools; and a Saturday, 10.30am-1.30 pm for the various communities, dog walkers and visitors to the Staiths. Workshops included making a bird hat, embroidery, sewing, printmaking, collage and illustration, ceramics, cyanotypes, shadow puppetry and paper movable birds.
These workshops had a number of purposes:
- to animate the space and introduce it to the local community
- engage families and people in creativity to support well-being and to learn about their community
- to find out what else they would like to see take place in this brand-new community-focused space
- an opportunity to break down some of the barriers between the people who live in the new estate and those who live in the old community. A number of the artists lived in the communities, or in wider Gateshead.
In those nine weeks, over 45 hours of workshop time, we had 250 engagements, and roughly 14 people on average attending each workshop. There was a mix of primary age children and their adults from the local primary school, as well as adults coming to take part and be creative. Many of these engagements were the same people coming back each week to take part in a new and different creative activity. We developed a following that attended each workshop and engaged and supported each other in their creativity, with adults helping children to embroider and make ceramic work.
What did people think?
Over these sessions we asked visitors to the space and participants in the workshops what they thought, and what else they'd like to see happening. Some of their feedback included:
- more crafts for children
- more creative activities for all ages, making use of the great buildings we have
- continuing the art space would be wonderful. It's vital to connect the community to the monument and local landscape. Bringing the stories of the workers to the wider area. Community garden, heritage guided walks. The need to embrace our heritage is so important.
- more free workshops with art and nature would be amazing! Been a lovely afternoon, thank you so much!
- continue to get kids involved in the local area so they can know more about where they are being brought up.
- I would love to see more of this activity here. It has been such a lovely experience. Angelika has such a lovely attitude - and a wealth of experience and expertise. The atmosphere has been so unique - very quiet, lots of concentration and enthusiasm and ideas. New experiences - a delightful mix of school children to right up the age range. Thank you!
- activities like this - creative, I particularly enjoyed. The 15th with Annabelle I learnt quite a bit. Thank you.
- lovely engagement. Continue the good work!
What we've learned
Lucy Zwolinska, who leads on community participation for the Tyne Derwent Way, said: "Working with Dingy Butterflies to programme the first nine weeks of our new community space by Dunston Staiths has been brilliant. Each of the artists working in the space has brought something new and exciting to get local folk engaged in celebrating the Tyne Derwent Way. To see folk of all ages and backgrounds getting together to make and create has been a joy. Dingy Butterflies have a particular gift for creating a welcoming, inclusive and accessible environment.
"We look forward to finding more ways to work with Dingy Butterflies and local artists, and in the meantime, we will continue to open the Staiths space on Thursdays 11am - 5pm, and Saturdays 10am - 2pm, with drop-in creative activities on Thursdays 3-5pm and Saturdays 10:30am - 1:30pm.
"Shout-out to all of the amazing artists that Dingy Butterflies have worked with in the space: Lottie Smith, Shiori Naruse, Paulina Malowaniec, Jennie Eyre, Liv Hunt, Angelika Strohmayer, Lisa Delarny, Annabel Talbot, Dominic Smith and Pui Lee. And of course, big thanks to Ben Jones from Dingy Butterflies for making it all happen!"
Dr Ben Jones, Director of Dingy Butterflies, said: "We were delighted to be invited to be the first resident of the new space on the Tyne Derwent Way at Dunston Staiths. We wanted to create a space that was welcoming, open for all to engage, be part of and feel ownership of - a space that people could be creative, active, supported by and feel part of a community.
"Working with the nine artists enabled this to happen. All held a space for people through their creative practice and empathy, engaging people in creative activities and creating collaboration across communities. By doing this we created a group of people that could dip in and get involved when they wanted to; meet new people and get to know their neighbours, and a space where diverse communities could meet. We hope to be involved in future opportunities and continue to work with the people we have met and welcome new people into this creative space."
What's happening next?
Discussion are ongoing about how we can build on what we have achieved over the nine weeks of this project. We hope to reveal our plans very soon. In the meantime, keep on coming down to our regular events and activities!
If you want to get involved, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at tynederwentway@gmail.com or send us a message on Facebook (opens new window) Instagram (opens new window) LinkedIn (opens new window) or BlueSky (opens new window).
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