Creating Confidence - a printmaking project funded by Arts Council England
I never imagined, when I turned up to a training on securing grants (run by the lovely Kate from Junction Point) that less than a year later I would be 2 grants in and having the time of my life supporting a wonderful local charity. It was one of those opportunities that popped up and I thought - why not!
By the time I had my first meeting Dawn from East End Women, she had already read my proposal and wanted to ask a few questions - like, What experience did I have with working with vulnerable families? and How flexible are you in the way you work?
They had worked with artists in the past and had mixed results. Some of the women were nervous of very prescribed programmes and needed more of a place to feel part of a community - the art was really just a vehicle for that.
The Grants
The first grant came from Junction Point - they were looking to match up artists with charities for a range of projects and, once Dawn and I had decided we were a match, we got started on the pilot scheme - ‘Printmaking’. We wanted to see if it was actually something that the participants of East End Women wanted. Suffice to say it was a great success and the women were keen to keep going so I got stuck into securing grant 2.
The second grant was with Arts Council England.
‘Nobody every gets and Arts Council grant first time’ they said.
Well I did. What I learned from that was that if you read the guidance as though it’s a cheat sheet and look at what their funding priorities are, you can match them to the outcomes that you are aiming for. That’s what I did and it secured us nearly £5000 to move ahead with Creating Confidence.
The Aims of ‘Creating Confidence’
This project aimed to make visual arts more accessible to women in deprived areas and enable them to use the creation of artworks to open up conversations about their traumas and healing process. It also aimed to enable to women to develop skills that they can apply to future employment opportunities, such as:
Cooperation
Building trust in relationships
Problem solving
Seeing a project through from inception to completion
Managing time
Pricing products
Sales
Engaging with customers
Presenting their work
The creative starting point was ‘growth’ which tied into the development of a community garden but also speaks to the growth that the women were experiencing as part of other aspects of the East End Women program as they worked through healing their traumas.
This project enabled the women to build confidence and see that they can achieve positive outcomes after traumatic experiences that have dominated their lives.
We had already piloted a smaller version of the project with a group of 3 women and built on the confidence and skills that were developed by expanding the group and going into a broader range of printmaking skills as well as breaking down barriers between these women and the professional arts world by introducing them to working artists, professional studios and a gallery visit.
Each week, the women got to experience a new printmaking process and build a range of skills. Having already used monotype they explored collagraph, linocut and fabric printing. This culminated in an exhibition where they had the opportunity to engage with potential clients, sell their artwork and celebrate successes with members of their family, friends and the wider community. This show was held at The Magic Hat Cafe in Newcastle between 16th February and 16th March 2025.
The Workshops
Lego Print
It is much what is sounds like. We used lego dots and base boards to create shapes and patterns, then inked them up and printed onto paper. It’s a quick and fun way to build a block and great to do at any age.
Collagraph
Collagraph is printing with a collage. We created relief on a cardboard base using string, bubble wrap and corrugated card. This then created relief sections to ink and print.
Lino Print
This is my specialism - using gouges to carve away the surface of Lino blocks - the opposite of what the women had done so far. For some of these workshop sessions, the women came in small groups to my studio to use my press and studio equipment.
Fabric Print
We used more Lino blocks with specialised ink mixing to create fabric prints that could be heat sealed and washed. Some of the women also embellished their printed surfaces with additional painting and stitching.
The Exhibition
The show was really an opportunity to celebrate everything that the women had achieved and share it with friends and family. It was a time for them to feel proud.
The launch was a real turning point for a lot of the women. Up until this point, the had doubts that anyone would buy anything so chose not to sell. However, once they saw everything framed and hung, they changed their mind. One of the pieces sold within 20 minutes of the launch. All funds will be split 50:50 between the charity and the artist.
One of the women shared their thoughts in video…
With thanks to…
Arts Council England
The National Lottery
Building Futures East
East End Women, particularly Dawn Emmerson
Junction Point
and most importantly - the women who took part and are currently working on fundraising to keep the project moving forward: Adele, Dani, Filiz, Hana, Lianne, Roxy, Toni, Victoire