Participatory arts

About the participatory arts projects

Eventus is a cultural development agency based in Sheffield which uses the transformative power of the arts to make a difference to people and places. Eventus works with the 23% of people recognised by Arts Council England research as 'not currently engaged with the arts'.

All Eventus projects include capacity building by involving local people in their design and management. This is achieved by linking local people to their local resources which they may not have used previously.

Eventus' responsibilities included:

• engaging older women from priority neighbourhoods with which they already have established links

• involving them in the selection of two artists

• organising a community exhibition

• managing the project

For the Look at Me! project, Eventus worked with

1. a group of 13 older women residents at Guildford Grange Extra Care Scheme, Norfolk Park, managed by Places for People

2. a group of 11 older women who volunteer for Green Estate, an environmental social enterprise, based at the Manor and Castle area of Sheffield

The approach taken was based on good practice evidenced in previous Eventus projects: 'Flowers in the Frame' and 'Postcards from Tinsley'. Both these projects worked with local residents to capture photographic images of their areas.

Eventus' involvement in the Look at Me! project provided the opportunity to consider the importance of neighbourhood to women's views of ageing. Two professional photographers were commissioned to encourage participants to try out creative techniques and to capture images of what ageing means to the women in the group.

Part of the process was to produce outcomes which could be shared with the local community. Previous projects have seen images reproduced as sets of postcards, street banners, and pull-up banners for local GP surgeries, schools and community buildings, and for display in local libraries and community hubs.

The photographer Laura Pannack was commissioned to work with the Green Estate group. At the time of the project, Laura, based in London, had recently won a World Press Photo title (first prize in the Portraits Singles category). For more information about Laura's work, visit her website.

The photographer Monica Fernandez was commissioned to work with the Guildford Grange group. Monica, based in Leicester, has exhibited in the UK, Spain and Tenerife.

Commenting on the project, Clare MacManus, Director of Eventus, said: "I'm hoping the project will produce some stunning images of groups of older women who are keen to explore their own identity. We hope the project will have a positive impact on the women's wellbeing. We're also looking forward to helping the women develop photographic skills which will benefit them when after the project is over."

View the project outputs: