MAKE Southwest and Freehand
Our charitable objectives are to provide hands-on learning through Freehand, our scheme for placing professional makers and artists in schools and other communities, where they deliver workshops in a range of disciplines and materials. The workshops/residencies operate as a partnership between MAKE Southwest (formerly Devon Guild of Craftsmen) and the school/community with shared funding.
In 2019, Freehand facilitated and part-funded 30 artist-led projects in schools and other communities, mostly between 1-5 days in length, with over 2000 primary school children taking part in the workshops. These took place using a range of materials including textile design, wood sculpture, willow, graffiti, print making, photography, sculpture with recycled materials, mosaic, felt making, jewellery and ceramics. Additionally, many one-day workshops for families, children and adults, took place at our home base, Riverside Mill.
Freehand also seeks to reach communities who have limited access to creative opportunities with the aim of increasing engagement with craft making.
In addition to outreach in schools, through 2018 -19, we delivered A Good Age, part of a national project under the Celebrating Age banner, which comprised a series of half-day workshops (150 in total) for older people at risk of isolation and/or loneliness. The project resulted in an exhibition in our main gallery, with the work made through community workshops on show alongside the work of five professional older artists, all born before 1945, who made new work based on the theme of ‘Change in my Lifetime’. You can find the a film documenting this project here.
If you are interested hearing more about this great project please get in touch with our Education team | ian@makesouthwest.org.uk