From Alex Corina...

Garston Shows the Art of Regeneration

Garston Cultural Village Campaign is delivering the biggest schools residency in the city with ten artists working with students in ten schools over ten weeks. And with all the artists in place, the project will be completed in July.

The Spirit of Garston project, part-funded by the Liverpool Culture Company, Neighberhood regeneration Fund, South Liverpool Housing,and PH Holt Trust and is promoting the importance and opportunities for recycling across
the city and demonstrating how schools and artists can play their part in encouraging recycling.

Putting employment at the top of its agenda, the Garston Cultural Village Campaign is aiming to create at least 250 new jobs in Speke and Garston in the run up to the Capital of Culture 2008. And after just 18 months it is well on the way to achieving its target with the creation of 25 new jobs for artists and craftspeople in the area.

Participating youngsters from Garston Gilmour Infants School will be joined by Councillor Paula Keaveney who is responsible for recycling and the environment for the city council.
Also present will be Clare Trenholm from the Liverpool Culture Company, Gilmour’s artist in residence Becca Backhouse and the driving force behind the campaign, artist Alex Corina.

Alex explains: “We wanted to encourage Garston’s young people to create a symbol for their village or their school by using everyday materials that might otherwise be thrown away.

“It aims to combine raising awareness of recycling and its importance to the environment with creative approaches to the arts.

“It is also about learning what materials can and can’t be recycled, considering how recycling saves natural resources, looking at recycling methods and how recycling can be used in art.”

The project was kick started in May with a campaign to bring the controversial Lamb Banana sculpture back to Garston. The artist responsible for the giant yellow work of art was inspired by a former Garston merchant
who exported livestock and imported bananas through the port in the last century.

It is now hoped that local artists and schoolchildren will create their own work of art.

The creative side of the project.

The Spirit of Garston is an artist in residency programme in Garston schools. It is intended to encourage the artistic talents and imagination of pupils, staff, and artists involved to enable them to realise their full potential.
The project aims to combine raising awareness of recycling and its importance economically and environmentally with creative approaches to making art.

The Artists In Residence are:

Gaynor Sweeney
Becca Backhouse
Kevin Hunt
Zoe Langdell
Rita Slater
Sarah McCauley
Barbara Jones
Danny May
Sue Wrigley