NEVER GIVE UP! – Looking to the future
North Edinburgh Arts is the venue for a practical workshop on arts and activism this Wednesday (20 February). Community Learning and Development worker Lynne McCabe tells more:
“I am writing to tell you about a practical workshop on arts and activism which will be taking place in North Edinburgh Arts Centre on Wednesday 20 February from 10 – 3.00 pm. The session has been organised by North Edinburgh Social History Group, CLD and art students from Telford (Edinburgh) College.
The social history group will kick off the morning session with a presentation of archive material which illustrates how the arts have been used to support local campaigns in the past. The students will then do a short presentation about the art work they created following a meeting with the group last year. We will then have a discussion about local issues and hopefully come up with some ideas of how to use the arts to get your group’s message across to a wider audience. This approach has been used very effectively over many years by countless local groups including the western general action group, the feet first chiropody campaign, the anti-water privatisation campaign, Pilton Environment Group and different generations of anti-dampness groups.
A free lunch will be provided for all participants at 12.00 and then we will get down to creating banners, posters, petitions, campaign logos – anything that you think would help to publicise local issues and campaigns. Some ideas already put forward by local activists include a huge banner or piece of art work about the bed room tax or something which could be used to highlight the issue of fuel poverty. We will be assisted in this process by the students and staff from the Contemporary Art Course at the College. The College will also provide us with a range of materials and equipment to use.
This is a great opportunity for people from different parts of North Edinburgh to come together to create a range of campaign materials which will help to generate a bit of publicity about local issues and campaigns.
Places are limited so please book your place in advance. Telephone North Edinburgh Arts on 315 2151 or email them on admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk. I hope that you are able to join us.”
