We are thrilled to be receiving funding from National Lottery Community Fund to deliver an exciting project; Communities of Wonder.
The aim of Communities of Wonder is to work with groups of children & young people in St Helens on exciting and wonderful creative projects.
We use a range of arts activities as a medium to explore themes relevant to and identified by young people including: Mental Health and Wellbeing (post Covid); the Environment; and Diversity, with the aim of reducing anti-social behaviour, increasing confidence and wellbeing and improving mental health and life choices and aspirations
We believe that magical artistic experiences have the power to change people’s lives and we’re bringing artistic experiences to children, young people and families in St Helens, to create profound and positive life changing impacts.
To find out how your community group can get involved with Communities of Wonder, please contact our Youth Projects & Engagement Worker, Emma at emma@wonderarts.co.uk
Check out all of the wonderful projects to date below
Be Your Own Cup of Tea
by Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow is group based in St Helens for young people who identify as LGBTQIA+
For this project the group have worked with wonderful Artist, Michelle Wren to create artwork to be displayed at St Helens Pride.
With Michelle the group discussed the origins and the importance of pride and decided they wanted to create a piece of art that would raise awareness of issues important to them such as Trans Awareness and identity. They wanted the work to showcase their group to the wider community and showcase it as a place that is safe, accepting, supportive, a mini family and a place you can come out of your shell.
Throughout the project the group have designed and created a fabulous structure; Be Your Own Cup of Tea - a celebration of the power of being yourself.
The deconstructed rainbow features designs which highlight topics important to the group and emerges from a multi-coloured chess board that represents the constant game of chess that their community are playing with society.
“I have enjoyed being part of a group and being able to create something so meaningful with other people, I have enjoyed our conversations and our laughs and thoroughly enjoyed our time together”
Our Wonderful Differences
by St Cuthberts
This group of young people have been working with the wonderful UC Crew.
Throughout the workshops the group have been exploring a wide variety of graffiti art skills including stencil making, freehand spray painting, lettering, and the development of detailed drawing techniques.
All of these techniques have been combined to create a large mural to be displayed in the school. The mural depicts 4 sections, each with a different theme linked to topics important to them: mental health particularly autism awareness, racism poverty & the cost of living crisis, exploration & innovation and finally rights for those in the LQBTGIA+ community.
“I wish this could last longer but unfortunately it cannot but it will stay as a memory for me and many others that participated and will be a great thing for the rest of all our lives. We have made many pieces in our time doing this and our final project is great and our school is going to love it, this is a great experience to have”
Window of Change
By Buzz Hub - St Helens Coalition of Disabled People
The young people worked with the wonderful Artist Emmer Winder to explore the dearth of green spaces in our town centre, how technology has developed and how Artificial Intelligence has shaped the way we use our town centre. They took time to document and notice how our town looks and could look.
The group began by creating bricks which represent the harshness of manmade structures. They began the process of reclaiming this space visually by inserting the names of key figures from St Helens into the bricks, which were then turned into a beautiful planter holding the tree of hope. They also created screen printed protest boards about reclaiming the urban landscape and returning to nature. They embellished photographs of the town with floral vibrance. Illustrations of some of the key figures were drawn. Poetry was written and performed to go alongside these visual creative statements.
The group shared their eclectic work through an exhibition of artwork in an empty shop – inspiring them to create the project name. The exhibition included an interactive growth garden, charity badges for sale with all donations going to charity and ‘Acts of kindness’ - glass-inspired bugs that were delicately created and hidden around the town centre for visitors to find and add to the growth garden.
These pieces show deep thinking that took place whilst the art work was being created.
“I’m most looking forward to seeing it all come together at the final celebration and people looking at it for a long time to come.”
Hidden isn’t Lost
By St Helens Young Carers
This Spring we partnered with St Helens Young Carers Centre and wonderful local Artist Cady Davies to create beautiful visual artwork for their fabulous vibrant centre.
Cady, who has lived experience of being a Young Carer, worked with the young people aged 6-19 to explore what life can be like as a Young Carer and posed the question “What brings you joy?” inspiring the group to create stunning individual pieces which have been compiled to create one wonderful display.
Taking inspiration from a film they had recently made; the group named their final piece “Hidden isn’t Lost” to highlight the hidden role many young people undertake in caring for their loved ones.
Throughout the project we highlighted the importance of community resulting in participants telling us that being part of a community means... “Helping each other.” “Being a good person to help the world.” “To have something in common.” “A lot. I love all my friends.”
The centre gives a space for young carers to relax, be themselves and have fun with others who share their experience and we were delighted they wanted to work with us. It’s been a wonderful and rewarding project with many finding the experience cathartic; using their artwork to reflect on their role as carers.
We had a lot of laughter and met a lot of Taylor Swift and Stitch fans! Within all of the light-hearted fun we made time for meaningful discussion; provoking thoughtful, positive messages through their artwork. Hidden isn’t Lost has been a wonderful project which has been a great boost to self-esteem, communication and wellbeing.
Read about Cady’s experience delivering this project here
“Mental health is hidden. It’s ok not to be ok. Imperfection is beauty. Try something new.”
Proud to be Deaf
By Young People from the Deafness Resource Centre
We are delighted to have been working with children and young people aged 6-19 from the Deafness Resource Centre and Deaf artist Christopher Sacre to create a mural and garden ornaments for their beautiful community courtyard.
They began by creating bright wonky face self-portraits and discussing mural themes - nature and the importance of signing to the Deaf community. They painted pebbles and copied early mural sketches onto clear plastic acetates, which were projected onto the hall wall to finalise the final design. They painted canvases showing some of the barriers to the Deaf community and how proud they were to be Deaf. One boy wrote this on his canvas and agreed Proud to be Deaf would be a good project name.
Next, they crafted bunting, painted bird boxes, flowerpots, wooden hearts and pot labels. Everyone got a chance to paint the mural.
“The best things about the sessions were “learning more about others, being seen more for my art, made me excited to go out and I had a say”
“Having a positive Deaf role model facilitating the sessions has made a huge impact. We saw the confidence in communicating grow in some young people and parents/ carers commented on the difference. It is always important for us to show our D/deaf children and young people that they can do anything and become anything they aspire too, and not to allow their deafness to hold them back. Seeing a working professional artist who was deaf and used sign language gave them the opportunity to understand that they can achieve their goals if they want to.”
