Art and Creativity

Posted on March 30, 2021 by admin

ART AND CREATIVITY

Art is a form of expression, a way of helping people to see, understand and feel things that can’t easily be done verbally. It satisfies a diverse range of needs for humankind and is also used in various political and social issues to organise campaigns and create awareness. Art is a special form of communication between people addressing common issues and experience and as such is uniquely positioned to move and inspire people and provoke debate and sometimes outrage.

Making art is a special kind of activity which uses all aspects of human ability; imagination, physicality and intelligence. It is not only therapeutic for the artist but it can unlock the potential of those who experience it.

Everyone has emotions and personal experiences of life and sincere and honest art can allow its audience to empathise and see their own experiences mirrored in the work in a way that allows them to think about things differently. The arts can bring communities together, making their community spaces that people can enjoy create community pride. At the same time it can work in solidarity with people’s feelings and beliefs and enourage support for important local issues.

WENDY CHARLTON – LOCAL TOTTENHAM COMMUNITY ARTIST

Wendy says of herself and her work: “I have spent 30 years as an arts practitioner in community arts provision managing projects, facilitating workshops and teaching delivery. I also have a visual and social arts practice which values local histories and lived experience of people through storytelling. Projects involve a multi-disciplinary documentary approach through collaboration. Dialogue is central to my working process, realised through attendance at community meetings, volunteering and/or informal communication with individuals. This allows me to identify where artistic activity can be beneficial and develop appropriate creative strategies. Current work is embedded in themes of housing, community activism and critiques of arts-led regeneration.”

Wendy has done several local projects but here we concentrate on one that she did in 2015, at a time when redevelopment was propoaed by the Council of part of Lordship Rec and adjoining Estates. This work, SA63-Home was a temporary installation involving altered estate agent signs placed around an area of land proposed for redevelopment next to Broadwater Farm estate. You can also view an accompanying film by clicking on this link:
www.wendycharlton.net/sa63—home.html

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE PAINTINGS

I am Joan, a volunteer at the Hub, and I am a painter. I love these Paintings. When I was very young I remember seeing small prints of Van Gogh’s paintings on the walls at home and I was transfixed and never looked back. When I look at the painting of the Olive trees I can feel the heat of the burning sun and the russet sun-baked earth reflecting back the heat. The old olive trees are almost dancing and throwing their shadows on the land. I feel transported to the wonderful landscape of the south of France and feel warm and happy. On the other hand the empty chair is almost like a portrait of the artist although he is not there. Its emptiness is almost heavy and gives the inanimate objective a sense of life and personality. There is something about an empty chair that beckons and makes you wonder who has sat there or what it would be like to be sitting there. It can at once be a comforting image or a sad and lonely one, where is Vincent?

DREPH – STREET ART

In his artist statement Dreph (Neequaye Dreph Dsane) says: “I am a visual artist predominantly creating large scale street paintings, oil portraits and printmaking. I am interested in how contemporary portraiture, can be used to present alternative narratives. My subjects are for the most part everyday people, unsung heroes and heroines whose triumphs I seek to highlight, represent and pay tribute to. The challenge for me is to reflect these stories; with an honesty and depth of emotion that reflects the humanity of those I paint.”

‘You Are Enough‘ is a series of portraits painted across London paying tribute to friends who are doing amazing things for their communities and society at large and we are lucky enough to have this one in Tottenham. For more of his work see: dreph.co.uk/

TOTTENHAM ART CLASSES

Tottenham Art Classes run art classes and courses in the local area of Tottenham. Before the Coronavirus pandemic they ran weekly drop-in Life Drawing sessions at the Beehive Pub, just off Tottenham High Road. These classes provided an opportunity to bring together a community of like-minded individuals to engage in something creative closer to home. All levels of ability are welcome.

They also run structured one-day weekend courses, some of which have been held at the Hub, which have included Life Drawing, Life Painting, Watercolour, Still Life Painting, Portrait Painting, Illustration, Mono Printing and Lino Printing. Check out the classes and courses page on the website for more information. www.tottenhamartclasses.co.uk/

Online *non-live* life drawing – Next class on Thursday 25^th 7-9pm (15min break included). Class is £6 paid in advance. For information and booking contact info@tottenhamartclasses.co.uk.

In this time of social distancing we want to try and keep creativity alive and support life models. Therefore we will be holding *non-live* online life drawing classes every Thursday evening from 7pm (note: next class 25^th June). This will mean drawing from posed photographs provided by the model.

How Will It Work? The sessions will take place via a Zoom meeting.
Once a meeting starts the session will work similarly to our normal class where you will be given a specific amount of time to interpret the pose before we change to the next photo.
Please Note: Classes are £6 booked in advance to ensure a guaranteed income for the model. To attend the upcoming Zoom session please pay via the button on their website
Advance booking essential. Booking will close at 5pm on the day of the class

MORE IMAGES THAT MEAN SOMETHING TO ME

Faith Ringgold is a black American artist who was born in 1930 in the Haarlem district of New York and she has had a long career as an artist and civil rights activist. This picture done in 1997 and is named “We Came to America”. It is a very topical image given the protests in America and across the world today and the debate about the horrors of slavery that are going on here. The work is a mixture of quilting and painting. The image is really strong, meaningful and sad but the overall feeling of the work is of exuberance and some kind of optimism.

The portrait on the right is by Mexican artist and political activist, Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). She suffered serious injuries in a bus crash which left her severely disabled and it was during her period of recovery that she began to paint. Her self portraits are honest and strong and have a fantastic sense of place, a strong sense of Mexican identity, painted in a folk art style but, at the same time, being expressive of her pain and disability.

Both artworks are decorative but both are strong and expressive of difficult and heart felt subjects.

EXHIBITIONS IN THE HUB CAFÉ

For many years we have been holding monthly exhibitions of local artists’ work in the Café area. We offer the space for free to the artists and only ask for a donation if they sell any work. We have had a variety of work on show from watercolours, oil paintings and photographs to mixed media. We are always looking for new artists who would like a chance to exhibit their work, especially if they have never exhibited before. We held our first Art Fair in November 2019 and hopefully will do something similar again when we can.

Paintings from some of the many exhibitions over the years, top row left to right: Lucy Edkins, Carla Harding, Myriam Rodderick, bottom row left to right: Patricia (Bap Art), Inga Bystram, David Newton, Fiona Remm.

If you would like to exhibit once we are able to reopen our building then you should contact joanhcurtis51@gmail.com or let someone know in the office and they will pass on your details.

TOTTENHAM PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB

Tottenham Photography Club is a friendly but serious photography group based in Lordship Hub (when it is open) where you can discuss photography, share pictures, ideas and hints and tips about taking pictures or camera accessories. There are monthly meetings, which in usual times are held at Lordship Hub on the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm. As well as the meetings there are regular shoot-outs where trips are organised locally or further afield. The group sets a monthly theme for club members and the results of this and the shoot outs are put in albums on the facebook page. The group has also had talks and technical workshops. Club members try to attend and photograph local Tottenham events and chronicle changes in the neighbourhood. All are welcome and membership is free. See: www.facebook.com/groups/TottPhotoClub/

A selection from the Tottenham Photography Club albums by, top left to right: Mustafa Suleman, Julia Parnaby, bottom left to right: Gary Oland, Ann Robertson, Dianne Dalli.

EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH DANCE

If you want to learn to dance and get fit see this local organisation, DEFINE ME whose aim is to create a community of people who love the benefits of Dance and Fitness. Whether you are a trained professional or budding beginner, they aim to make an accessible, enjoyable class! Shenika teaches here and also runs a Soca Dance Workout at the Hub in normal times. DEFINE ME are now doing online Zoom classes. For information see: defineme.net/ or phone: 07803281196

BRUCE CASTLE MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

Bruce Castle museum hold a great variety of very interesting art exhibitions all with links to Tottenham. Unfortunately Coronavirus has temporarily closed the museum but when it is all over, keep an eye on what is on there. See: www.haringey.gov.uk/libraries-sport-and-leisure/culture-and-entertainment/visiting-haringey/bruce-castle-museum/whats-bruce-castle-museum

Recently there was and exhibition called Windrush Legends and Legacies. Opening on Windrush Day in 2019, this exhibition showed stories from the Bruce Castle collections and the local community, celebrating the presence, the significant contribution and the lasting impact by Haringey’s Windrush Generation with photographs and memories.
We Made It! Haringey’s BAME creators and innovators saluted past and present-day BAME creativity and innovation – all from Haringey. Exploring the collections from Bruce Castle Museum and Haringey Archive, this exhibition celebrated the more recent artistic excellence of Haringey artists and designers. For the first time the award-winning ‘Sewn Together’ African and Caribbean commemorative quilts made by Sonja Camara and the Haringey community were displayed. The collection of artists included Gary March who made the Downhills Shelter Memorial Sculpture by Lordship Rec Woodland and Bernette Hall who was responsible for the waterfall Mural on Broadwater Farm.

The current exhibition is Sisters, Sirens and Saints: Imagining the Women of Beatrice Offor
A Centenary Exhibition of Portraits by Beatrice Offor (1864-1920). It commemorates the centenary of artist Beatrice Offor (1864-1920) who lived in Tottenham. The exhibition explores her beautiful portraits and the imaginings and portrayals of the women she painted. Bringing together her artworks from the collections at Bruce Castle Museum alongside recently discovered paintings, this exhibition draws on new research, the influences in her life and the recent invigorated interest in her art. Beatrice Offor is celebrated as being amongst the first women students who trained at The Slade, going on to become one of the few commercially-successful Edwardian female artists. An unusual forward-thinking artist for her time. This was to continue till September 2020 so there may be the chance to see it if lockdown measures are lifted.

There are also some excellent talks, workshops and art classes at the museum.

BERNIE GRANT ART CENTRE

The Bernie Grant Art Centre opened in 2007 and offers classes, artistic support and public performances. It is closed at present, but in normal times it offers so much of interest for the Tottenham Community, being a showcase for innovative and relevant performances and events. www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/explore/

EUROART STUDIOS

Euroart Studios are a North London artist-led art studio group in Markfield Road, N15 4QQ, providing affordable studios and workspaces for rent to artists, makers and creative practitioners. It is committed to bringing contemporary art practice to the local community. They deliver activities enabling people to participate in artistic and creative experiences and have delivered creative workshops in the studios and across the borough. www.euroart.co.uk/

AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

When the lockdown is over and the Hub reopens completely, it would be great to exhibit the vast array of creativity that has been going on in the homes of Hub users during their long days indoors. If you have developed a new skill or rekindled your creative spirit, join us in putting a grand spectacle together!

Category: The Hub Huddle

Art and Creativity