summer of somewhereto_ highlights

Twenty-five year old Ashleigh Ward served as Feelance Regional Coordinator for somewhereto_SE, organising and curating an exhibition at a warehouse in Brighton with over one hundred artists. Here he talks about his somewhereto_ experience:

Launching summer of somewhereto_ in Brighton has been the biggest exhibition I have ever organised. I managed to secure a huge warehouse space in Circus Street, which allowed me to pull together all the talented young artists and give them a space to exhibit and perform. I just knew that for a big creative festival like summer of somewherto_ there was nowhere better than this huge abandoned warehouse in Brighton.

I had three key members that helped me make this event happen. Al from Iklect is starting his own collective and has a number of artists he wanted to exhibit. Becky (first year sculptor at University of Brighton) was a good leader so I put her in charge of the sculptors. She did an amazing job of organising and curating the 3D element to the show.

Hannah from Canopy Creative was the first young person I met in my new job role as freelance delivery partner for somewhereto_SE, so when I secured Circus Street, I knew I wanted her to bring her amazing ideas to the venue. She built and hung Sussex meadows from the ceiling which had a long table underneath. This brought a beautiful elegance to the industrial warehouse.

The variety of the show was brilliant. Not only did we have over 100 artists exhibiting, but we also had amazing workshops and events. One of my favourite workshops was the 3D projection-mapping workshop from the collective L.E.G, a rare opportunity to learn 3D projection-mapping for free.

The opening night saw more then 700 guests come through the door. The few people that I got to talk to on the opening night loved the show. I spoke to someone that worked at Lighthouse Gallery and he said that this show didn’t feel like Brighton but had a Berlin feel to it, which was incredible to hear.

When I closed the shutters at the end of the opening night, the crowd outside cheered and clapped, which was a lovely moment. Seeing it all come together so wonderfully made me feel proud to be part of somewhereto_ which gives young people this incredible opportunity.The support of the public has been really positive and seeing them blown away but what we’ve all achieved, has been the most rewarding.

Here twenty-four year old artist and somewhereto_ Glasgow ambassador, Kerrigan Renniegade talks about her experience of the project:

I am a young artist from a small village outside of Glasgow, called Salsburgh. I have been drawing and painting from a very young age and last year I became unemployed. This was a huge blow to my confidence as a young emerging artist, and I needed something to keep me creatively stimulated. I started volunteering with Depot Arts in a place called The Imaginarium in Possil, and it was here that I found out about somewhereto_. I had no idea that this amazing organisation would honestly change my life.

Through my volunteering there have been some really interesting opportunities that have been really positive for me. Earlier on this summer I was asked to be the official young ambassador for ‘summer of somewhereto_’ in Glasgow, and I was honoured to be part of this project.

Summer of somewhereto_  was about celebrating our talented generation, and giving young people a platform to express their ideas. Without the help of the somewhereto_ and their team I wouldn’t have been able to present my first solo art exhibition this summer. My project manager Ian Findlay (who delivers somewhereto_ in Glasgow) was absolutely brilliant. Ian helped me secure O2 Think Big funding which helped me buy art materials, contribute to travel costs and deliver my whole exhibition event.

I have several friends who are involved in the Glasgow hip-hop music scene and as a regular attendee to gigs and battles, I was always inspired by how they expressed themselves. As an artist I always dreamed of contributing something to the local hip-hop scene through my own artwork. And with the help of somewhereto_, this became a reality, when we came up with the idea of “The Art Of Hip-Hop Exhibition”, which showcased portraits I’d painted of my musically talented friends, depicting their skills in areas such as beat boxing, DJing, rapping, and spoken word performance.

somewhereto_ helped me find the space to work on my paintings, and secured a place to express myself to a wider audience. Having a solo art exhibition is something I have thought about from a very young age. I’m a huge believer in following your creative passions and I’ve always loved the idea of people looking at my work and feeling inspired and happy.

Over the last few months my confidence has soared, and I have gained skills that I never thought I would have! I’ve learned how to organise a huge event from the very beginning to the end. The exhibition launch night had an amazing turn out of people in support, with live performances from the subjects in my artwork. Everyone loved my pieces overall and it was extremely rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off.

See more of Kerrigan’s work in this video:

Get involved with somewhereto_ here.

somewhereto_ is a UK wide youth programme delivered by Livity and funded by a £7m grant from the Big Lottery Fund to support its nationwide expansion to 2016.

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Participants will have access to The Imaginarium Possilpark which features a workshop space with three separate rooms, one with a fully equipped rehearsal studio. An exhibition style space in Trongate, Beyond The Finish Line will also be available. Top TV talent and music scouts from SYCO entertainment, will be working in association with summer of somewhereto_ with opportunities that will be mentored by accomplished industry specialists including masterclasses and endorsements.

To get involved, contact somewhereto_ Glasgow here.

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somewhereto_ re:store is a project that’s relaunching in a creative community centre in North Glasgow. There will be a launch party on Saturday 1 February to showcase a new programme of workshops, classes and events as well as the refit of The Imaginarium space. somewhereto_ re:store provides spaces for 16-25 year olds to use in any way they want within the creative arts and enterprise.

Following on from the success of last summer’s nationwide launch of re:store, somewhereto_ are pleased to announce plans are underway to continue the resurgence of activity in the disused spaces of North Glasgow.

somewhereto_ have been busy curating activities to support continued regional efforts and encourage local and social enterprise amongst the young, creative and ambitious. somewhereto_ in association with icecream architecture and Hot Tap Media, launched re:store in Glasgow as part of a nationwide campaign funded by a £7m injection from The Big Lottery Fund, to reclaim the high street and offer young entrepreneurial people the opportunity to realise their ideas in creative pop up spaces all over the country.

somewhereto_ Project Managers Joe Grehan and Catherine Smith are currently working with young people in partnership with Depot Arts and the Concrete Garden, whom set up The Imaginarium as a joint project to encourage community arts project that serve the Possilpark area, regularly organising weekly folk music sessions, craft, cookery and garden workshops, street-art workshops, exhibitions, swap shop meets and song-writing classes throughout the year.

Kerrigan Renniegade (24) has been involved with the re:store project since we started in December 2013. She’s an illustrator and a street artist and is working on a number of art projects with The Imaginarium. She’s been running a small business customising shoes and commisioned art prints (see image above).

Kerrigan will be helping with Depot Art’s new weekly portfolio drop in sessions starting and is working on a photography/portrait project of 10 local hip hop artists to be exhibited within The Imaginarium. She has this to say about the project:

“I think we need more places like The Imaginarium”. The people here and the work they do I inspiring and has encouraged me as a young artist to express myself and made me realise that I can make things happen.”

Now in the process of inviting a fresh new wave of 16-25 year olds in North Glasgow, somewhereto_ are asking like minded people to come down and check out the free event at The Imaginarium to unleash their imagination within the creative space, and take the opportunity to talk with somewhereto_ representatives whilst proactively seeking out new spaces for potential ventures. The newly refurbished building opens its doors this February with a new programme of workshops, events and activities to showcase the diverse talent of local young people.

somewhereto_ provides mentoring and access to free spaces for 16 – 25 year olds, allowing them the flexibility and inspiration to do the things they love…no opportunity is too big or too small! From 3 February, re:store managers are available every Monday from 10:00am – 2:00pm to welcome young people into their space and chat through ideas. If you’re 16-25 and want to get involved, please visit here.

For more information about the launch party on 1 February, please go here.

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