mailout art changing lives 21


FEATURE Dear Action Factory,


Sometime in 1996, I arranged to take work experience whilst at school. However, I had little idea as to what kind of job I would do later on; I just knew that I was interested in art. So, when I was offered a work experience placement at Action Factory Community Arts in Blackburn (accompanied by the sniggering of one of my class-mates) I was quietly pleased with it. I had a much less talkative nature at the time and had to muster a great deal of confidence in order to actually make the call. My apprehensions were reassured though because it was a very friendly man named Julian (the organisation’s current funding & development manager) who answered the call and gave me further instructions about the placement.


The placement was a really good experience for me because over the space of two weeks during that summer, I was able to try my hand at many different art forms, some of which I had never tried before such as mosaic and glass painting. I also helped to put together a mural design project for a special needs school in Morecambe. Julian and his staff were very friendly & helpful while I was there and they must have been patient because I talked so little at that time.


Action Factory Community Arts works with people, using participative arts, to encourage them to become active partners in cultural and creative activity and build confident, unified communities.


For over 20 years Action Factory Community Arts has encouraged active participation in the arts through the development of a philosophy which places access, ownership and participation at the core of its practice.


Action Factory Community Arts develops, manages and delivers participatory arts workshops and projects in a range of settings, including work in education, with youth and community groups, at festivals and events, voluntary and campaign groups, with health agencies and housing and regeneration initiatives.


W: www.actionfactory.org


The interesting thing about the placement was that it took me a very long time to actually realise its significance over my own career path. Even after having gone through several college courses, jobs and eventually, three marvellous years studying Music (I’d become more of a musician by this time).


After my studies, I was still unsure about which job route to follow; would I be a teacher, a recording artist, or a BBC employee? The answer came when I tried my hand at community arts volunteering and naturally, I approached Action Factory for work first (starting with a large mural project not too dissimilar from the 1996 one). It was good to be back with them after such a long time and I couldn’t believe how much had changed. They had a new building, and they seemed to have an army of people working either directly for the organisation or in partnership with them, including painters, photographers, musicians, drama teachers, the list goes on.


The best part about being involved with Action Factory is that they have informed me about community arts opportunities which I otherwise would have never known about, and I now work as a musician at several NHS Trust centres thanks to their assistance. I also work on a long term media project with them whilst working with two local media & photography freelancers who are friends as well as colleagues.


As a result, I am now very close to working as a full-time community artist (hooray! No more working in supermarkets!) and I can’t thank the people involved with Action Factory enough. I hope that I am connected with them for a very long time to come.


Best regards,


Peter Latham Freelance artist/musician


Dear Project Ability,


When I was referred to your organisation in the late 1990s I did not believe I had the ability to be an artist. My Psychiatrist at the time was aware of the fact that although I was very depressed and in the grip of anorexia (an illness which I struggled with until recently) I was painting and using this image making as an outlet for expressing often unconsciously the emotional problems I was experiencing. She asked if I would like to attend an open studio, The Trongate Studios, a project for artists with long term mental health problems. Unfortunately my problems persisted for years. Your organisation provided me with a physical space and art materials which allowed me to engage in my creative process in a structured and safe environment. But most importantly your organisation housed some incredible staff whose enduring support and encouragement allowed me to find my true calling as a creative artist. It has been a huge work in progress and for me my success has been in beating anorexia, learning how to live with my autism, and to stay balanced and mentally well so I can produce exciting and rich visual thinking with which to communicate to people and to sustain communication with aspects of myself. Ultimately I am now beginning to fulfil my ambition of being an autonomous artist who can feed back into her community and inspire belief in the power of art to transform the individual and enrich society.


Yours, sincerely so, Pum Dunbar


Project Ability is a Glasgow-based visual arts organisation which creates opportunities for people with disabilities and people with mental health issues to express themselves and achieve artistic excellence.


Over three hundred people each week take part in our year round programme of workshops, events and exhibitions which are held in our centre in Trongate 103 and in community venues throughout the city.


We work in partnership with people with disabilities and their support agencies across the UK and develop local and national arts projects, creating opportunities for people to network, share their practice and exhibit their work.


W: www.project-ability.co.uk


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