Planting creative seeds of inspiration for overlooked communities in Nottingham
Whilst art isn't the only thing that matters in this world, it's important to provide accessible opportunities for arts engagement to people of all backgrounds due to its many benefits. This was a driving force behind the partnership and initiative between Young Hustlers, an arts and music festival that I have been a co-director of since 2021 and Freedom Arts, a community organisation in Nottingham led by the formidable Coleen Francis. Freedom Arts organised workshops for families in underprivileged areas, allowing parents and children to unleash their creativity and create vibrant flags which were later publicly displayed on the day of our main annual festival on 22nd October.
"Thank you so much for all your efforts and for allowing our service users to be involved. They had a blast and it was nice for the children to access services and bond over art. It opened up many conversations to spark the minds of our youngsters"
This was a comment left by one of the service users involved with the workshops. One of many positive interactions with parents about the benefits of the workshops.
Visual art serves as therapy, promotes well-being, and unites people through enjoyment and storytelling. And for those who are only bothered about money, the creative industries contribute significantly to the economy, with the UK's creative sector alone contributing £109bn in 2021.
Very grateful to It's in Nottingham for the financial support that allowed us to give away free tickets without there being a negative impact on our revenue (all of which went to charities across Nottingham by the way), and Arts Council England for the funding, which enabled us to deliver the workshops and ensure that the artists and facilitators were PAID.
My own journey into the arts began with a programme for young minds unfamiliar with contemporary visual arts (led by the fantastic Katy Culbard many moons ago, and something that was a seed for where I am today). This proves that such initiatives can be transformative. You never know whose creative spark you might ignite, and whether that young participant could be the next Steve McQueen!
I take immense pride in the impactful work that was done and am very grateful to Coleen, Jamie, and Lexie at Freedom Arts for all their hard work, time and commitment, for whom this wouldn't have been possible, as well as the venues that hosted the workshops. Big up to my co-director Ben Welch for making this partnership happen, and festival coordinator Amelia Daiz for supporting the development and assisting with the sessions. Looking ahead, I'm eager to collaborate again where I hope that we can plant seeds of inspiration, nurture future talents, and contribute to the evergrowing talent in a city where creativity knows no bounds.
Photos in this post are from one of the workshops delivered as part of the initiative, with families and service users from Angolan Women's Voices UK, at Marcus Garvey Centre, Nottingham on 14th October 2023.
Photos: Anthony Akpovi for ForFourth, courtesy of Young Hustlers C.I.C