We are now more than halfway through our participatory project which involves a small group of people resident with Morning Star charity, an organisation that helps rehabilitate those who have suffered with homelessness and addiction. Prudence Maltby has led the sessions with support from myself (Susan Francis). Following the visit to the gallery and discussion together around the work and in particular Pru's drawing, we arrived at Morning Star with individual boxes made up for each participant with a selection of materials, tools, and prepared drawing surfaces.
Encouraging the participants to follow their own line of enquiry has produced very individual projects. Some of the work includes drawings produced from personal experiences, others individual items of personal significance and one participant is reigniting skills from childhood as he documents his father's shoemaking tools in drawing and moves on to creating his own sandal in card. It has been an absolute privilege to share in these personal histories, and see them come to life as participants gain new skills and experiment with new means of expression.
