In late 2020, Liverpool Tool Library opened their doors to the public, in one of the country’s first to adopt a model of repair and reuse so that local communities could not just access stuff, but knowledge too.
In the five-and-abit years since, they’ve become one of the most valuable resources for the people of Toxteth, and a model for what works for the creative industries, despite sitting firmly on their fringes.
Because the Tool Library isn’t explicitly about creative expression. Yes, it facilitates it, but it’s more important, more holistic.
Their monthly workshops and open sessions are centred around DIY basics: building shelves, communal van restorations, training with power tools, and fixing household items. Within that, there are courses in wood block print, film screenings, and plenty of one-off opportunities for their community to engage more deeply and enrich their lives through culture and community education, but it’s all founded in learning to do the basics well, safely, and successfully.
Now, here’s why that’s exciting for the Circular Arts Network. Since they founded, they’ve saved their members £581,000 in borrowing vs buying equipment.
When that model extends to materials, screens, exhibition support, time, and AV, CAN stands to duplicate that within the arts, for artists. And on every step of the journey to come with CAN, the precedent set by Liverpool Tool Library will be celebrated, and members encouraged to engage with their work, and their library.
This network is there to link artists, creatives and audiences with opportunities to save memory, reduce waste and make their worlds a little bit better. It’s about the whole, and acknowledging the power of friends and partners.
This month alone, if you turn up to Liverpool Tool Library, there’s a wealth of events to get you started.
Membership starts from £30 on a sliding scale depending on personal circumstances, and if you’re unable to afford that, there are further concessions, or memberships covered by pay-it-forward schemes.
Find out more about the incredible work of Liverpool Tool Library at www.liverpooltoollibrary.org.uk
—
Words, Kathryn Wainwright
