Artists in Residence and People’s Theatre Exhibition

An exciting project involving ten artists in residence in school hubs started in May 2015.

CERAMICS, TEXTILES, GLASS, SCULPTURE, FILM MAKING, MUSIC and CREATIVE WRITING were created with a strong team of artists.

Arts Council England awarded a ‘Grants of the the Arts’ award to ‘Under the Fields of Heaton’, and much of this budget is devoted to ten artists working in Ouseburn schools. We’d like to thank, in addition Sir James Knott Trust for a grant to further support this work and the Lantern Procession in February 2016.

Nine primaries and one secondary school in the area acted as hosts for artists and hubs for information and involvement. Ceramics, textiles, film, poetry, sculpture, & glasswork are proposed.

Most of the nine primaries in the Ouseburn area hosted an artist in the summer term. The artists were commissioned to create a work of art to reflect upon some aspect of the Heaton Main Disaster and upon Ouseburn and East Newcastle now. The whole of schools’ communities took part in the festival, staff, children and parents, with snowdrops, paper lanterns, assemblies and Les Turnbull’s book for children giving the historical information they need.

Benton Park Primary Whole school arts week: Haydon Brige Film Company making documentary

Cragside Primary Y4 Y5 Alison Ashton: Textile hangings

Chillingham, Road P Y5 David Pyrke: Ceramic mural of Heaton Main Mine

Christchurch Primary Y4 Ken Patterson: Mosaic of shaft & Heaton Main Mine

Hotspur Primary Y4 David Pyrke: Ceramic mural

Ravenswood Primary Y4 Rachel Gretton: Fused glass work

St Catherines RC P Y5 Keith Barret Sculptor: Chestnut Tree scultpure

St Teresa’s Primary Y6 Tessa Green and Elle Phethean: Time Tunnel

West Jesmond Primary Y6 Alison Ashton: Textile Hanging

Heaton Manor School Y8 Jed Grimes: Songwriting

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An exhibition was mounted in the People’s Theatre Gallery Space which also displayed lanterns from the lantern events of 10th February and a displayed record of the programme of events since 2nd May 2015.

Newcastle’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Ian Graham and the Lady Mayoress Margaret Graham opened the exhibition with 120 guests enjoying the fine displays mounted by teachers and the Under the Fields of Heaton Working Party.

The People’s Theatre Exhibition was open during box office hours:

Monday – Friday 10.30am – 1pm from 25th February – 12th March 2016

Here’s Tessa Green and Ellen Phethean’s film made with Y6 children in St Teresa’s RC Primary School

The Process

Artists worked for ten half days with a class or classes, and involving parents and their teachers, to create new works of art.

David Pyrke ceramicist with Y5 Chillingham Road students creating a tile installation, 15th May 2015

Alison Ashton, textile artist, works with Y3 children at West Jesmond Primary, 4th June 2015

Collage with mixed media

Themes of fields, coal, fire, water, air to create a large wall hanging.

Lumberjack to take down chestnut tree and leave 4m stump for sculpture.

Keith Barrett by chestnut tree for sculpture, St Catherine's Primary — Keith Barrett by chestnut tree for sculpture, St Catherine’s Primary

Ellen Phethean Poet at St Teresa's — Ellen Phethean, Poet at St Teresa’s Primary

Tessa Green, artist, at St Teresa’s Primary

IMG_0674_2 — Two wall hangings at Benton Park Primary School.

Marc McKiernan of Haltwhistle Film Project at Benton Park Primary

Watching a piece of recent animation, Benton Park Primary.

Ken Patterson’s Mosaic with Christchurch C. of E Primary School

11402819_10153960119693696_1031188503403476689_o — Glass decoration with Rachel Gretton, Ravenswood Primary

Christchurch’s children pose by their mosaic

11337021_10153960119903696_8356618730641530537_o — Rachel Gretton’s Glass Installation in Ravenswood Primary

Chillingham Road Primary’s DisplayLanterns