Local Groups / Networks
It is worth doing some research into which audiences there are local to you – what local history societies exist, what community organisations are near to you and etc. Partnerships with local organisations and community groups can develop new audiences and add to the understanding of your own collection.
If you have a strong collection of portraits of people from the local area and in local occupations then you have the perfect vehicle for making links with your local audiences. Local history talks and reminiscence sessions would be ideal learning activities.
Learning activities around Family History can be useful here – for more details see Family History.
Homeless People Portrait Sessions at the Holburne Museum, Bath.
Self-Portraiture with Julian House, workshops 2007. These images are from a series of drop-in workshops with people from Bath’s night shelter for homeless people.
© The Holburne Museum of Art
A good example: Homeless People Portrait Sessions
The Holburne Museum of Art in Bath runs drop in sessions at the Gardener’s Lodge for people from Julian House Night Shelter. Peter Stone, the Holburne’s photographer, has been working on self-portraits in the Lodge, and in the landscape, and on them photographing each other.
The participants were given disposable cameras to take pictures during the week, which the Holburne developed and put on CDs, giving them the prints. Peter worked with them on Warhol and Hockney collage techniques and they then collaged the images. They also made prints from the images using Styrofoam to print from.
The project continues as every Wednesday people from Julian House, Genesis and the Bath Mental Health Trust drop into the Gardener’s Lodge located in Sydney Gardens for some refreshments and an hour of creative activity led by professional artists.
© The Holburne Museum of Art
Art works completed range from life-size figures set round the city during the music festival to decorated mugs for Julian House and a full-scale mosaic panel for an outside wall. Their artwork has been exhibited at the Museum and at other public venues and arts festivals in the city.
The project has given homeless people the opportunity, not normally available to them, to develop new artistic skills, deepen their understanding and enjoyment of art and gain a voice within the wider community to highlight the issues of homelessness.