A talented group of young people and older residents in North Tyneside who have collaborated on a special art project are set to see their work go on display to the general public.
North Tyneside Living, which offers high quality rented accommodation for tenants aged 60 and over, approached the North Tyneside Learning Trust education charity about getting local schools involved with creating new artworks for the communal areas of its portfolio of retirement schemes as part of their refurbishment.
A pilot project was organised where students from Burnside College and Percy Main Primary School met with residents of the Rosebank Hall and Percy Lodge independent living facility in Wallsend to find out more about each other before all going to create new artworks based on the things they’d talked about.
The outcome was so successful that sessions involving two high schools and three primary schools were held during the first two terms of the academic year, with a further three schools set to get involved during the summer term.
Most of the 200 artworks that have been produced up to now have been paintings, with a number of project participants choosing to produce pencil drawings or to work in watercolours.
And now, after the North Tyneside Learning Trust secured a £1,966 grant from North East employer The Banks Group, an exhibition of the work that the young and older artists have created is set to be staged at Wallsend Library & Customer First Centre during the second half of July to give the artists’ parents, families and other residents the chance to see what they’ve been creating.
Around 120 young people and 50 older residents have been involved in the project so far, and once the exhibition is complete, the artists’ work will go on permanent display at several North Tyneside Living properties around the area.
North Tyneside Learning Trust supports and connects a group of 36 local schools with employers, universities and colleges to improve education and life chances for all children and young people.
Katrina Moffat, project manager at North Tyneside Learning Trust, said: “Everyone involved with this project has produced such fantastic work that we wanted to share it with the wider community and we’re really grateful to the Banks Group for providing the funds we needed to make this happen.
“We found that the residents and students very quickly became comfortable with each other and had lots of things to talk about, which has resulted in some really interesting work being produced.
“It’s been a genuinely lovely project to be part of, and the feedback we’ve had from participants of all ages has been very positive.
“As well as producing artworks that will be really appreciated by North Tyneside Living’s residents, it has also enabled new links to be developed across our community and is helping to tackle social isolation in a way that everyone enjoys.
“We can’t wait to share the amazing work that’s been done by our young and older artists with everyone in North Tyneside and to then see it on display in its final locations.”
Linda Herman, senior service manager at North Tyneside Living, added: “This exhibition is a beautiful testament to what happens when different generations come together and share their perspectives through art, and we have witnessed remarkable transformations among our tenants who participated in this project.
“The artwork explores themes of community, sharing wisdom across generations, and the unique perspective that different life stages bring to artistic expression.”
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, said: “This is a brilliant idea that has produced so much fantastic work, as well as having a much wider positive impact on the local community, and we’re very pleased to be helping the North Tyneside Learning Trust share it with everyone.”