Art On Your Doorstep – The Delivery Diaries
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| A participant at the Art Cafe, which runs on Thursdays once a month at Rural Arts |
Life on the road has been a compelling story for centuries; from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to Thelma and Louise’s silver screen adventure. As Rural Arts embarks on its newest venture, Art On Your Doorstep, we’ll bring you on the journey as we share the escapades of the artists travelling with us here in this blog.
Art On Your Doorstep is a brand new service funded by The Arts Council England, The Baring Foundation and North Yorkshire County Council. It will bring artists to older people in rural locations both in Thirsk and the surrounding rural area, so they can enjoy one-to-one creative sessions in their own homes. Artists and musicians will travel alongside mobile shop suppliers like Pollard’s of Thirkleby, to visit older residents using these services. The activities on offer are wide ranging, and include many different crafts, from pottery to poetry. Art On Your Doorstep will also encompass dedicated workshops and relaxed matinee performances at The Courthouse, plus performers will be on the road touring community services like lunch clubs and supported shopping trips. Rural Arts is partnering with Thirsk Community Care to deliver the project, which aims to help older people in Thirsk find or rediscover their creative side and in turn improve their health, wellbeing and confidence, as well as tackling isolation and loneliness.
The story begins, like many road trips do, with a party. Art On Your Doorstep will be launched this week with a special event to give local people a flavour what’s on offer. Artists will run taster sessions of the activities they’ll be doing, and we’ll have a sneak preview of performances from some of the dance and theatre groups taking part. The launch event will take place at Rural Arts in The Courthouse, Thirsk on Thursday 8thJune from 12 noon to 4pm, and lunch will be provided. If you’d like to come along, email sue@ruralarts.org.
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| Art Cafe at The Courthouse |
After we’ve waved farewell to our partygoers, Art On Your Doorstep will really get going. Artists and musicians will hop on board mobile delivery vans, carer visits and other community support services to reach older people who are taking part. We’ve already had a good turnout for our first Rural Arts Art Café for older people at the Courthouse, and we hope to see even more as the project grows.
Stay tuned for the next instalment as we follow one of our artists out on the road. If you or someone you know would like to take part in Art On Your Doorstep, or if you’d be interested in volunteering for the project, give us a call on 01845 526 536, email sue@ruralarts.org or pop in and see us at The Courthouse in Thirsk.
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| Art Cafe – a finished piece |
– Article by Faye Levi
