Portfolio: Culture, Tourism and
Sport
Outer East Area Committee
11th December 2003
Holocaust Memorial Day: Neighbours Project
Report by: Head of Arts & Culture
Ward Implications: All Riverside West Wards
For Decision
1. Synopsis
1.1 As part of the Holocaust Memorial Day events the NEIGHBOURS Project, a
project which seeks to work with community groups to identify what makes a
good community and good citizens, has committed to creating artwork to
contribute to the events in January 2004. It is hoped that in this way local
issues can be related to International events.
2. Recommendation
2.1 The NEIGHBOURS Project, as it currently stands, will work with six identified
groups across the inner west, outer west and the east end of the city. In order
to extend the opportunity to participate in the project across the city, ensure
equity and add value to the project, Area Committee is recommended to:
Agree funding to support additional workshops to be held within this Area
Committee’s boundaries.
3. Introduction
3.1 NEIGHBOURS is a two year project that seeks to address the issue of what
makes a good community and good citizens in areas of Newcastle that have
suffered most from prolonged decline and change.
3.2 The project will encourage creative activity and debate around issues of social
identity, social cohesion, cultural diversity and racism. The project will centre on
the positives of a culturally diverse community and will start by recognising that
the communities of Newcastle are made up of layers of migration and
immigration dating back beyond the Roman era.
It will seek to discover, celebrate and question cultural, historical and
geographical characteristics, which are the unique foundations of the
community.
It will encourage the community to ascertain the positive and seek to build
upon ‘positivity’.
3.3 It will help the community develop a contemporary sense of place that reflects
all aspects of their society; to take seriously a sense of responsibility for their
community, how it portrays itself, how it is viewed and where it is going.
3.4 The project co-ordinators recognise that this is a very complex area of cultural
life and that many groups and individuals are responding to these and related
issues in a wide variety of ways. The City Arts Team proposes therefore to
carry out the project outlined here in particular communities and at the same
time invite involvement in NEIGHBOURS from any other group. The nature of
this involvement will be for further debate during the ongoing planning for this
work.
3.5 Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that refugees and asylum seekers in
these areas will be given an active role in the project work and that their views
will be equally represented alongside input from all existing inhabitants and age
ranges of the target areas. Advice will be sought from appropriate workers and
groups on apt methods to engage refugees and asylum seekers from
neighbourhood to neighbourhood across the City.
3.6 The work will be based on a set of questions for individuals and groups
to consider:
The project will examine ‘community’ – how is a ‘community’ developed?
Where does a ‘community’ begin and end; whom does it include and whom
does it exclude? What is ‘community’ and who are ‘communities’? How does a
‘community’ sense of ownership and pride develop? What is a ‘community’
sense of place and how do we share or avoid this, why? The project will
explore and where appropriate, query the answers to these questions:
What is the history of your area?
What is your history - were have you come from?
What do you think makes a good place to live?
What do you think makes a good community?
What do you identify as your community?
NEIGHBOURS will be participatory and will create community activity as well
as reflecting upon it.
4. Holocaust Memorial Day
4.1 The Project has committed to creating artwork that will become part of
Holocaust Memorial Day events in January 2004. In this way local issues will
be related to International events.
4.2 Artists will be employed to work with groups to create new material based on
the questions outlined above. The Artists will also be able to incorporate
material from other contributors that will draw together and represent all the
work undertaken within the umbrella of NEIGHBOURS.
4.3 The project will seek to reflect on the development of community via migration
and cultural diversity. The City’s rich history of migration - from the Roman era
to present day – provides a wealth of historical material that will help develop a
contemporary sense of place.
4.4 A digital artist and a creative writing residency will form the heart of the project
along with groups drawn from the target areas. The wider community will be
drawn into the project via a series of practical and planning meetings. The
artists will work with the groups to produce digital imagery and written text/
prose centred upon the issues of NEIGHBOURS. The artworks will be able to
be digitally reproduced and will come together from across the city to create a
joint publication (book or CD-ROM).
4.5 Whilst the project work will span 6 months, work with community groups will be
underway and work in progress will be visible by Holocaust Memorial Day and
will form part of the City’s Holocaust memorial Conference and
Commemorative Service.
5. Costings
5.1 Costings are within the guidelines of the Arts Council for payment of artists and
are based on the artist working with a maximum number of 20 individuals per
group. Due to the nature of the project, participants would benefit from a
number of sessions in order to fully explore the issues. It is therefore
recommended that no less than a full day session per group is funded.
5.2 1 day session would therefore cost:
2 artists x 1 day @ £150 each per day = £300
Materials for session (maximum 20 people) = £30
TOTAL per full day session = £330
6 Legal Implications
6.1 Not applicable
7 Financial Implications
7.1 Each of the seven Area Committees is being asked to support this project.
8 Background Papers
8.1 Held by Arts Development Officers
Contact Officers: Community Co-ordinators
Alison Redshaw, Arts Development Officer