Cosy Community Commission news
We are delighted to be able to support and commission 10 Cosy Community projects and 12 Cosy Creativity workshops for the end of 2022 and during 2023.
The aim of our Cosy Community commissions and Cosy Creativity workshops is to deliver creative activities in a warm and comfortable space for local communities in the Black Country. We were looking for creative responses which will bring fun, joy, connection, and creativity to local people in the Black Country until March 31st 2023.
We had some really lovely project proposals come forward that highlighted the care for local communities at this time as we all see the cost of living rises take effect.
We can’t wait to see how people get involved in the Cosy Community offers. We’ve popped some details below of the successfully commissioned projects and workshops which will be open to anyone who’d like to join in and take part.
Here’s a few images from some of the workshops that have taken place so far…
Projects and workshops in Wolverhampton
Name: Welcoming Back Spring
Dates: 24th Feb & 3rd March
Venue/s: Gatis Community Space. Workshop delivered by Adam Billington
We look forward to working with members of the public who can help us create flowers and bees from recycled plastic bottles and found items, these will be incorporated into one of the displays featuring in our upcoming lantern parade on 25th March. Our theme will be Welcoming Back Spring. Find out more about Gatis Community Space.
More about Adam: Adam is a Wolverhampton based artist who has come from an arts and crafts background growing up in Somerset and working part time in the families pottery business. He later trained as a silversmith at Birmingham School of Jewellery and started exploring installation art for events and nightclubs. For the past 7 years he has been a director of a small CIC based in Wolverhampton where he is the creative lead for their community based setting. Over the past 5 years he has been the lead artist and co-producer for the organisation's Lantern Parade, working with a range of local artists and creative mediums to develop a community based celebration of light, as part of this work he has developed a range of community deliverable workshops based around lantern making and crafts for a range of abilities. He enjoys working with willow and recycled materials to develop his ideas and is skilled at spontaneous problem solving. Adam on facebook and insta.
Name: Joyful Robins - a needle felting workshop with Kanj
Venue/s: Pride House, Wolverhampton LGBT+, 27 School St, Wolverhampton, WV1 4LR
Date: 2 April, 11am - 2pm
An opportunity to learn the craft of needle felting from local artist Kanj Nicholas. Choose your project and be guided through the craft of needle felting to create something special to take home. Free refreshments included. Held downstairs on street level in Pride House, this activity is wheelchair friendly. Over 18's only. Any questions about this event or others can be emailed to info@wolverhamptonlgbt.org. WLGBT+ Registered charity number 1193696
Name: Workshop with Kupid Val-Essoné
Venue/s: The Way Youth Zone, Wolverhampton
Date: 17th March.
Style + Patterns - The Art of Bars. Join Kupid for a whistle-stop course when he’ll be delivering a lyric writing workshop exploring the techniques and flows that some of our favourite artists use and studying lyricism as an artform. 13-18 year olds welcome. No need to sign-up just turn up and speak to staff at The Way.
Name: The Big Fix
Venue/s: Wolverhampton Central Library
Dates: Wednesdays 10.30 - 12pm (until end of March)
What: The team will deliver a programme of inspiring and practical workshops enabling participants to learn how to Repair, Re-cycle and Up–cycle furniture.
Aimed at: Local community.
Name: Soulful Sewing School
Venue/s: Pride House, city centre, Wolverhampton
Dates: 25th Feb & 4th, 18th & 25th March,11am
What: The activity of teaching people to sew, mend, recycle and make will take place within the main hub, Pride House, in the city centre of Wolverhampton. It will be arranged and promoted by Wolverhampton LGBT+ and developed and delivered by a volunteers who is an engaging and experienced clothes designer. Sessions will take place on a weekly basis at the same time as their regular coffee and cake meet-up. During this time people will learn the very basics of sewing and progress to mending torn or worn clothing and eventually creating their own pieces.
Aimed at: Local community.
Find out more and book your place.
Name: Cosy Communities at Lanesfield Methodist Church
Venue/s: Lanesfield Methodist Church
Dates: Friday lunch/early afternoon (11:30 – 14:30) from January to the end of March.
What: Craft and knitting workshops.
Aimed at: Local community.
Projects and workshops in Sandwell
Name: Recycled Candle Making with Courtney Millar
Venue: Wednesbury Museum & Art Gallery
Date: Wednesday 22nd March 2022, 10.30 - 12.30
Learn about the benefits of using recycled materials and other sustainable products for the use of candle making, including different types of waxes, the use of different fragrances and gift wrapping.
Name: Poetry workshop with Bones
Venue/s: Haden Hill House, Cradley Heath
Date: 23rd March 2023, 10:30 - 13:30
The workshop aims to motivate, empower, uplift, the participants it also covers mental health issues, the workshop aims to use poetry as a vehicle for the participants to express their inner feelings. The participants will be working through certain exercises, like value cards, coping with fear, and anger, what you can control, and ways to manage what you cannot. Individual needs, positive and negative beliefs. As in these troubling times a lot of the participants will be either angry, scared or afraid, the workshop will give them a safe environment where they can analyse these negative emotions, and get it out of their systems by the use of poetry. The workshop will be for all ages, both males and females, and most importantly, as well as feeling warm on the outside due to the hubs, the workshop will also allow them to feel warm, and cosy within. It will be conducted in a fun environment, where EVERYBODY will have the belief that they are somebody and that they in fact do matter, and are not alone. The interaction of the workshop will allow for open, funny and honest conversations, to help us to connect and draw closer together as a community.
More about Bones: Bones is a writer, performer, poet, lyricist, spoken word artist based in the West Midlands. As part of his work Bones visits schools conducting motivational talks, using poetry to engage with the audience to inspire and motivate. He has written and runs an Empowerment, and a Family Values program, in which he uses his poetry as a vessel.
Name: Pebble Art Design with Emily and Maxine Smith
Venue/s: Bromwich Hall - Manor House Museum
Date: 29th March 2023, 13.00 - 14.30
In Our Cosy Creative Session paint one of your favourite flowers on to a pebble. When completed being able to place it in your special garden space or in your home.
About Emily and Maxine: Mother and Daughter Duo Emily and Maxine Smith will run this workshop together. They have recently opened a studio ‘I Luv Pebbles’ at The Redhouse Glass Cone, Stourbridge. Find out more
Name: Black Country Heroes – Family Show
Venue/s: Sandwell Libraries
Dates: Between Jan and March (exact days and times TBC)
What: Gathering stories of heroic and historic characters from across the Black Country with materials drawn from Sandwell Archives and Sandwell residents who can nominate their own local heroes. An exhibition of small family curios and notable items that reflect the local characters will also be gathered to go on display.
Aimed at: Local community.
Name: U Creative
Venue/s: St Marks Church Hall, Thimblemill Road, Smethwick, B67 6LP
Dates: Sunday’s from December to March
What: Using creative activities to bring participants from Eastern European countries together to try a variety of new creative activities that supports their general wellbeing, creates new social networks and inspires them to discover new creative hobbies and skills which it would be useful in their future development.
Aimed at: Eastern European communities.
Name: Cosy Community @ Dorothy Parke
Venue/s: Dorothy Parkes Centre
Dates: Thursday mornings from 10am–12pm during Jan, Feb & March 2023.
What: The project will be delivered in partnership by the Dorothy Parkes Centre and artist Ruth Turnbull (@ruthturnbullartclub on Instagram) where high quality art sessions and materials will be provided to help develop local people’s creative skills and communication.
Aimed at: Local residents.
Projects and workshops in Dudley
Name: Cosy Communities - Large scale drawing with Sarah Goudie
Venue/s: General Office Gallery, Dudley
Date: 23rd Feb 2023, 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm and 2pm-4pm
The walls and floor of the gallery will be covered in paper for you to fill with fabulous drawings. We will use projections to put Spring images on the walls to spark your imagination. This is a lovely opportunity for all those who love to draw and also for those who are unconfident – it will be a fun and inclusive day! The result will be a fabulous and fun group effort – a super experience of creating that will recharge people to explore a sense of drawing that doesn’t just have to be small and detailed but can also be large and expressive.
More about Sarah: The workshop will be run by creative practitioner Sarah Goudie. Sarah has 20 years’ experience delivering creative activities to all ages and abilities. She has a passion for large scale drawing and enabiling drawers to fulfil their creative ambitions.
Find out more and book your place.
Name: Hot Painting! A creative session exploring warmth, cosiness and heat with Rachel Magdeburg
Venue/s: Queens Cross Network Day Centre, Dudley
Date: Wednesday 1 March 2023, 11.00 am - 12.15 pm
In this fun, informal and creative session participants will explore warmth, cosiness and heat through acrylic painting. We will use warm and hot colours, imagery of sunnier climes, and warm-up through active mark-making and physical gestures.
More about Rachel: Rachel Magdeburg is a visual artist and writer based in Wolverhampton. Rachel uses a wide range of media and techniques to explore the history and practice of painting. Rachel has exhibited across the UK and also works in community settings, for public commissions and residencies. @rachelmagdeburg
Name: We Are Warm with Ruth Turnbull & Odette Campbell (We Are Makers)
Venue/s: Harrys Cafe, Dudley
Date: 1st March.
A cosy session awaits you with a warm welcome. We will make looms using cardboard boxes and weave using unravelled yarn from old jumpers, recycled fabrics, t’shirt yarn, and much more. We will have small looms set up for people to make weavings that they can take away. This can be used as a decoration or as inspiration to take home and continue creating. More details to follow.
Name: Toasty Tuesdays
Venue/s: Stourbridge Glass Museum
Dates: Starting on Tuesday January 10th and running every Tuesday during February and March we will invite 20 people through our doors after the school day until 5.00pm
What: A very warm welcome awaits primary school aged children and their parents/carers to a hot glass studio based at Stourbridge Glass Museum. As part of the session children can engage in fun, creative activities based around the theme of glass and local history whilst parents/ carers relax in the warm and friendly environment. Toast and hot or cold refreshments will be available for all participants.
Aimed at: Familes
Name: Conscious Crafts
Venue/s: Coseley Summerhill Community Centre
Dates: Every Friday at 10:30-12:30 with free hot drinks, fruit and cake provided.
What: A variety of craft workshops to help promote mental wellness, joy and general well-being.
Aimed at: Families
Name: Creheart Warm Christmas
Venue/s: Creheart, Castle Street, Dudley
Dates: 17th Dec, 23rd Dec, 31st Dec 2022
What: Craft workshops, dinners and performances to celebrate the festive period.
Aimed at: Families and young people.
Projects and workshops in Walsall
Name: Creative Session - Yarn Corner with Claire Daniel
Venue/s: Stan Ball Centre, Walsall
Date: 14th Feb 2023, 10.30 - 11.45
An invitation to share skills & stories on the theme of woolly warmth. We'll make a card to take away and create a story display on our washing line.
More about Claire: Claire is an experienced crochet tutor who has been sharing craft skills in her community since 2014. She draws on her professional background in early years education to create playful, creative sessions for adults. You'll find a warm welcome, inspiring, skill building sessions with time to unwind. Find out more
Name: Block-printing and embroidery beading workshop with Amarjit Nar
Venue/s: Brownshill Community Centre, Walsall
Date: 8 March 2023, 11.30 - 13.30
Fun block-printing and embroidery/beading workshops. Using fabric paint, attendees will print traditional Indian patterns onto fabric (using wooden blocks) and design how to embellish them using embroidery threads, sequins and beads. More details to follow
Name: with Play and Creativity with Emily Summers
Venue/s: Brownshill Community Centre, Walsall
Date: TBC
More details to follow
Name: Cosy and Creative at The Table - play-led music sessions and creative workshops
Venue/s: The Table, Walsall
Dates: Two sessions per month for January, February and March, lasting between 1.5 - 2 hours each (exact dates and times TBC)
What: Local musician/author Joey Walter, alongside local saxophonist, Dan Milverton will facilitate different sessions each month delivering high quality and engaging workshops and performances. Performances will offer a variety of musical genres on a wide range of instruments and Play Led Music sessions will use music to enhance creative play activities while providing musical entertainment for adults.
Aimed at: Local community and families.