Community arts programme for 2024

22 May 2024

The North Pennines National Landscape team has awarded four community arts bursaries and appointed an artist-in-residence for 2024, as part of the Land of Lead and Silver project.

The project has been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players, and Historic England and will run between January 2024 to December 2027, working with volunteers and local communities to unearth the stories of lead and silver mining in the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.

The artist-in-residence, Abi Baker, and the artists undertaking the bursaries, Anna Osborne, Carole McCourt, Daniel Weatheritt, and Leanne Bain, will take a new and exciting look at the industrial heritage that shaped the North Pennines landscape and its people.

Through the community arts programme, the artists will offer workshops across the North Pennines National Landscape to engage people in the lead and silver mining heritage of the area in creative and accessible ways.

Abi Baker, a mixed media artist based in the North Pennines, has been appointed artist-in-residence. Her work is a combination of fun cartoon illustrations and functional stoneware pottery, inspired by her love of people and place. During the residency, she will research and further her understanding of how the landscape and culture of the North Pennines has been shaped by the mining heritage. Her creative workshops will offer participants new ways of learning, in fun and engaging ways, to further their connection and offer a unique perspective on the North Pennines industrial heritage.

Anna Osborne is a felt-maker who is inspired by the natural local environment. She makes ‘rocks’ and ‘geodes’ as well as 2D art. Her ‘lazy’, quick and cost-effective technique of felting in the washing machine, is an ideal way to introduce people to a new craft and make it accessible to all ages and abilities. In her workshops, people will make their own crystal geode from wool, as well as a piece of needle-felted 2D art, to take home.

Last year, Carole McCourt stumbled across a photograph of a group of smelters at Rookhope Smelt Mill wearing woollen hand-knitted head coverings which protected them from the heat and draughts. This inspired her to develop a community project to celebrate the heritage of the lead smelters and of knitting, using the talents of the North Pennines’ knitting community to recreate approximately 30 of the miners’ shawls. Carole recently learnt to knit and has been looking for ways to incorporate it into her artistic practice as a mixed media artist interested in heritage and place.

Daniel Weatheritt is a graphic artist and designer based in Northumberland who creates unique designs and illustrations for public and private clients. Drawing is the foundation of every project he does. He loves designing for print, producing handwritten typography, and using traditional working methods and materials, including wood carving, clay, and assemblage. Daniel’s workshops will create experimental North Pennines illustrations using mixed media techniques and his special ‘randomizer’ resources to clash and collide wildlife, environmental and industrial themes. The end result will be the production of a digital art projection housed inside a curious spar box or cabinet.

Leanne Bain has always loved drawing and creating, and she specialises in textiles. She runs her own business selling paintings and colourful textile gifts, as well as running a range of workshops for all ages. In her community art workshops, participants will use traditional heritage techniques to create a small rag rug. Old photographs and stories of the mining communities will be explored for inspiration and the finished rugs can be used as a wall hanging, cushion, or just kept as a rug.

All the workshops will run over the summer months and full details will be available soon.

ENDS

Notes for editors

Images of artists and their work ©North Pennines National Landscape

For more information, please contact the communications team at the North Pennines National Landscape by email or call 01388 528801.

The Land of Lead and Silver project has been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England and will run between January 2024 to December 2027, working with volunteers and local communities to unearth the stories of lead and silver mining in the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund www.heritagefund.org.uk

About Historic England

We are Historic England the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion, and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work, and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge, and skills to inspire interest, care, and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all. Follow us on social media @HistoricEngland

The North Pennines National Landscape is one of England’s most special places – a peaceful, unspoilt landscape with a rich history and vibrant natural beauty. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. The purpose of this nationally recognised designation is the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of the area.

At almost 2,000 sq. kilometres the North Pennines is the second largest of the 46 National Landscapes (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk for information about the National Landscapes family.

The North Pennines lies between the National Parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland with the urban centres of County Durham away to the east. Parts of the National Landscape are within the boundaries of four local authorities; Cumberland Council, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council, and Westmorland & Furness Council.

The North Pennines National Landscape Partnership is an alliance of public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the North Pennines. The work of the Partnership is carried out by the National Landscape team which takes action to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to raise awareness of its special qualities and to improve the quality of life for local people.

UNESCO Global Geopark – As well as being a National Landscape, the North Pennines is a UNESCO Global Geopark. This puts the area’s Geopark status in the same UNESCO family as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Global Geoparks are places with outstanding geology where special effort is made to make the most of geological heritage to support community and economy. Locally this includes producing geo-trails, developing projects with school and community groups, producing displays for visitor attractions, and holding geology festivals and events.