Preston Mela 2009

Being part of Preston Mela is a fantastic experience for Prescap.  Last year we built on previous years and encouraged new community groups to come along to the Mela. We introduced four community groups to South Asian design in benner-making workshops running up to Mela day. Workshops participants enjoyed working with professional artists and learning new art and design techniques, many came to see ‘their’ banner on the day.  We ran a lively workshop on the Park on Mela day, decorating banners in various styles.  Many visitors to the Mela have visited our activities before and seek us out to join in.

We made fifteen new 6m high banners to add to the collection so that we can enhance the site on Avenham Park. We now have twenty-nine and are intending to make more every year until we fill the park.   We often use the event as part of our introduction to working with Preston’s diverse communities for new artists and the Mela is a great opportunity for team building. It’s always hard work but a great deal of fun too!

Future Heritage Video project

Prescap helped the Nguzo Saba Centre in Preston communicate the fantastic things that came out of their Style & Heritage project. The project gave young people from African Caribbean backgrounds an opportunity to explore their heritage through Dance, Design and Music and carry this experience forward into creative futures. Awards 4 All funded a new Video Camcorder, Digital SLR, lights and Laptop so that Prescap Artist Emily Voelker could teach members of the community how to film, edit and produce DVDs.

The young dancers made DVD showreels about their dances and Prescap produced a documentary that told the story of the project. We also got the project up on MySpace – Style & Heritage – so that the documentary and showreels as well as images of the fashion designs and the many performances from the project can continue the life of the project in the online world. Display boards that bring together images of all the aspects of the Style and Heritage project were produced to inspire young people in the future. The project was a collaboration between Nguzo Saba Centre and Merseyside Dance Initiative in Liverpool with partners, Lancashire Libraries and UCLAN and funded by Young Roots Heritage Lottery fund.

History Zone Installation, Preston

With the Moor Lane Resource Centre using we created an interactive, educational using “messy” art activities and new media. The installation depicts the history of disabled people in Preston whilst giving the service users of the Moor Lane Resource Centre an opportunity to take part in a worthwhile arts and heritage project that expands their skills and gives them an opportunity to explore and express their community’s history.

It is a useable and interesting tool to enhance education about disabled people and their abilities, history and community. It is able to be taken to events away from the centre.

It develops potential interests in arts, historic research and radio work, enhances skills of service users; particularly arts skills, research skills, communication, sound recording and team working.

It allow’s exploration of disabled peoples past and how disabled people were treated in the past.

It works with outside organisations to share skills and understanding of working practice, providing training opportunities in media skills, communication, team work and other personal development.

Carr-Gomm

This vibrant exhibition is the culmination of a Lottery Funded art project allowing a group of Carr-Gomm clients to work with professional artists from PRESCAP (Preston Community Arts Project).Carr-Gomm is an award winning national charity providing support and housing services for people with a variety of needs.

Every year Carr-Gomm supports around 3000 people across England. Many of those using the services have mental ill-health, a learning disability or other physical disability. Some have experienced homelessness, domestic abuse or face losing their home due to personal crisis.It is often difficult for clients to express themselves either verbally or in writing. This project has enabled them to have a voice through the artwork they have produced. In turn this has helped to raise self esteem, skills and confidence.

www.carr-gomm-photography-society.blogspot.com

A list of current and future projects is coming soon.

The next Guild celebrations are in 2012 and Preston Council want to make sure that this Guild is one of the best Guilds ever.

In order to plan and prepare for the Guild, they are consulting with a wide range of people including local businesses and community groups to find out more about how people would like to celebrate the Guild and how they might wish to get involved.

The Guild is very much a community celebration and even though there will be a flagship programme of events and attractions, people will still want to celebrate the Guild in their own way.

For example, businesses may want to take part and “compete” in one of the traditional Guild processions; local clubs and societies may want to put on a special event or have themselves associated with the Guild celebrations; or even local communities and neighbourhoods may want to organise a street party to celebrate the Guild in their own way.

Whatever people want to do for the Guild, the City Council wants to help and support where it can, so that 2012 is fully enjoyed and fondly remembered as a “People’s Guild”.

To help start this process, in August and September 2008, they are holding a series of special Guild roadshows where we are inviting people to tell us what they would like to do as part of the Guild.

The Guild roadshows are taking place between 11.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. on the following dates:

Saturday 23rd August 2008 – Flagmarket, Preston

Friday 29th August 2008 – Deepdale Retail Park, Preston

Saturday 6th September 2008 – Flagmarket, Preston.

They would like as many people as possible to come down and have their say about the Guild. We would be very grateful therefore, if you and your organisation could please spread the word about these Guild roadshows and encourage people to take part and have their say.

However, not everyone will have the time or be able to take part in the roadshows, so they would still like to hear from you even if you cannot make it. The City Council would especially like to hear from anyone who would be interested in getting involved with the Guild and in particular any business, community, club, society or individual who would like to have an event as part the Guild.

Go to their website:

Visit us them on-line at www.preston.gov.uk/guild2012 and select “get involved” and complete the on-line form.

Or  email your name, organisation, email address and any suggestions for the Guild/Guild events to:

guild2012@preston.gov.uk

Or telephone Karen Ryding – Guild Administrator on 01772 906193 who will make a note of your contact details.

Once registered, they will keep you up to date on any Guild news and developments and will also be in touch to get further ideas and suggestions from you.

Nguzo Saba Centre and Merseyside Dance Initiative presented a spectacular collaboration showcase event at the Harris Library on Saturday 14th June 2008. The event united music, dance and fashion design through analyses of cultural identity in a performance exploring traditions, helping other communities to understand and to conserve it for future generations through original and contemporary works of art.

Prescap’s involvement was to fundraise from Awards for All to get video and photography equipement to document the Nguzo Saba Young Style and Heritage project, to produce a DVD and showreel/ portfolio photos to help the young people carry their work forward into Higher Education or a career.