Rural regeneration through the visual arts
Rural regeneration through the visual arts
By
Green Close Studios
SUMMARY
The Lancashire Witches 400 project explored the heritage of the Lancashire Witches and the 400th anniversary of their trial and execution, alongside the enduring theme of persecution today. A diverse, creative programme initiated by Green Close Studios, involved hundreds of people participating in free workshops, talks and exhibitions featuring work from schools and the local community. There have been original creative responses from a range of artists including Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and a new walking trail has been established across Lancashire featuring work by Sue Flowers, sculptor Stephen Raw and members of the local community.
Outcomes
- An established and marked out route for members of the public commemorating the history of the Lancashire Witches with thirty community-made waymarkers and a walking guidebook including maps, route descriptions and images created during the project. Wrights & Sites staged a series of walking performances and interventions in the landscape.
- The Community Quilt and an audio story featuring local community participants and project partners talking about the witches
- Artwork and associated books available for schools to borrow and an online resource for teachers
- Increased historic and social understanding and creative skills in teachers, local children and members of the public. Local people became more aware of Stepping Stones Nigeria 4
- New relationships between local schools, museums and other heritage sites
- We improved our understanding of teachers’ needs in developing arts-based history projects, and expertise about how to develop teachers’ resources to support them.
Resource type: Case studies | Published: 2014
