Fostering Hampshire Children are excited to be working in partnership with Hampshire Cultural Trust.
The partnership project entitled ‘Be the Inspiration’ hopes to inspire the children of foster families to participate in a number of artist-led workshops across Hampshire, taking time to develop new skills and explore their creativity.
Children were invited to visit the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke for a ‘Textile Fun’ workshop, hosted by Roz from ‘Complex Simplicity’. Roz says:
"It was a great experience and hugely rewarding to have the opportunity for their foster carers and families to be involved in the creative activities in a relaxed environment.
The groups explored working with 2D and 3D outcomes with a variety of mixed media including fabric paints and a fabulous variety of materials kindly supplied by Hampshire Cultural Trust. There was also the opportunity to learn or develop a range of sewing and design skills.
Their final artworks look brilliant and really highlights their individual hobbies, aspirations, and a fun way to express themselves. The final textiles are going to be a Fabric comic book page, inspired by Pop Art and other creative influences and ideas shared by the group.
It is an inspirational and truly collaborative piece of work that demonstrates the positive elements of the lives of children and young people.
It also serves as a visual reminder how involvement in the Arts can help create an enjoyable bonding experience, while encouraging all involved to explore their creativity and improve their confidence with a view to support their overall wellbeing”.
The families had the opportunity to visit the Milestones Museum and explore Hampshire’s museum of living history. Children discovered the museum’s network of streets, shops and buildings, visited the collection of vintage vehicles, and had fun in the penny arcade.
Children were also invited to visit the Andover Museum for a ‘Colourful Collage’ workshop, hosted by Louise Dixon where they created some beautiful collages.
There are two more artist-led workshops available for children to join in the coming months – children of the household will be invited to create some ceramics and join in with some mark-making using paints and water-paint crayons on canvas.
Cat Cooke, Community Programmes Manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust, says:
“These sessions have been so much fun and a great way for foster families to come together in our friendly museum and be creative. All of the children were supported to be as creative as possible, have fun and make some lovely pieces of group artwork that will look fantastic in the touring exhibition. It was really lovely seeing the families come in and the children increase in confidence, help each other and relax. Looking forward to the next two projects at Westbury Manor Museum and New Forest Arts Centre.”
Fostering Hampshire Children and Hampshire Cultural Trust want to celebrate these creative and inspirational young people by sharing their stories and aspirations. The artwork produced from all the workshops will form part of a touring exhibition. From April 2023, the exhibitions will take place throughout 2023 across Hampshire Cultural Trust community venues to include museums and galleries in Alton, Andover, Fareham and the New Forest, with a number of smaller exhibitions displayed throughout libraries and community centres. We encourage you to visit the exhibition as it tours Hampshire next year and celebrate the creativity and inspiration of the young artists.
Fostering Hampshire Children hope to shine a light on the children in care and inspire the residents of Hampshire to #OpenYourDoor and become foster carers. Dedicated to find 150 new foster care households across Hampshire by the end of 2023, Fostering Hampshire Children will be holding information stands at the exhibition venues for those who wish to come and chat to a member of the recruitment team or a foster carer to find out more about fostering with an ‘OFSTED-outstanding’ Local Authority. The team can answer your questions about fostering, how to become a foster carer, and beyond.
For more information about becoming a foster carer with Fostering Hampshire Children, please visit the Fostering Hampshire Children website and download an information pack or call the team on 01489 587052 for a chat today.
Fostering Hampshire Children are working in partnership with several charities, organisations, businesses, and communities throughout Hampshire. If you would like to work in partnership with Fostering Hampshire Children, please contact the Partnership & Community Engagement Officer directly - [email protected]. Together, we really can make a difference to the lives of Hampshire’s most vulnerable children.