Newcastle College has partnered with a local community arts organisation to help transform one of its campuses and develop the skills of students in the process.
Colleagues in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) team at the College have teamed up with Glow Create to give the entrance of its campus at its Riverside Dene campus in Cruddas Park a makeover, using artwork and photography from students learning to speak English.
With funding from the Arts Council and Newcastle City Council, the Glow Create team has been teaching the students how to use a special photo-developing technique called cyanotype. This unique photographic process uses mostly natural light and water which means it’s both accessible and environmentally friendly.
The title for the project, 'Beauty between the Cracks', came from discussions between Glow Create and the ESOL students about what’s important to them.
Glow Create Director and Project Facilitator Danielle Giddins explained: “Hope was a big theme. Hope, beauty and finding joy where you wouldn’t expect there to be any. That’s how we came up with the idea of going out into the area around Riverside Dene and taking photos of those little pockets of beauty in a largely grey, concrete environment.”
The students have been working on the project since September, taking photographs and working with the Glow Create team to develop their photos and create the display.
The finished project will be on display in Riverside Dene from Tuesday 26 March and all are invited to visit.