Free creative sessions in Boston form part of a new £27k arts project

The next phase of Transported’s Town Jewels project - an arts and nature program aimed at creating a series of public artworks and wildlife objects in a trail around Boston’s outdoor spaces - is on today at Centenery Methodist Church with woodcarving sessions.

Led by Scott House and those who access it, the project invites everyone in Boston to participate in the creation of the trail.

Lincolnshire County Council, who manage Scott House, working alongside Boston and South Holland-based arts organisation Transported have been successful in a £27,000 funding grant from Arts Council England with additional support from Boston Borough Council to deliver their new project ‘Town Jewels’.

A Transported spokesperson said: “The Town Jewels project aims to help the centre to contribute to the creative enhancement of the town’s smaller, often unseen, public spaces and offer opportunities to create crafted, bespoke interventions, using a range of artforms, materials and techniques that add beauty and interest.“As part of the program, several artists have had residencies at Scott House and created artworks with those who access the centre. Now the creativity is being taken into the town, with a series of free activities scheduled for May at some of the proposed artwork locations.”

The events, running from 10am to 3pm, will be free, open to all and drop-in, with no need to book.

Participants will be able to enjoy being outdoors, take care of wildlife, learn new skills and be part of the creation of a new art trail in the town.

They will also have the opportunity to work with professional artists in a variety of mediums.

The next upcoming events are:

Tuesday 2nd May: Mosaic Making with Jane Kay beside Salvation Army on John Adams Way

Monday 8th May: Carpentry with Peter Tree, ceramics with Greenfield Pottery at St John's Rd play area

Tuesday 9th May: Willow weaving with Alison Walling at Scott House

“These events are a fantastic opportunity for the people of Boston to come together and create something truly unique,” added the spokesperson. “We hope that everyone will take the chance to get involved and help us make the town even more beautiful.”

Town Jewels will be delivered thanks to an Arts Council England grant of £27,000 and support of £1000 from Boston Borough Council through the Boston Town Area Committee in addition to contributions from the project deliverers Lincolnshire County Council and Transported.

It is hoped the project and subsequent artworks encourage people to engage and enjoy public spaces, our natural “gems”, around the town, hence the project name ‘Town Jewels’.

It will bring together a range of partners to work collaboratively (Transported, centre users, neighbourhood action, health, and community groups) and link and recruit local residents, the Wildlife Trust and RSPB to bring specialist knowledge and professional artists’ creative innovation and expertise in teaching and empowering participants.

Coun Wendy Bowkett, Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health, said: “We’re delighted to be a lead partner in this project which gives the Scott House centre users and their family carers the opportunity to showcase some of their work in the local community.

“Our Day Opportunities Service runs personalised activities for adults from 12 bases across the county. Residents with physical and/or learning disabilities can access a host of activities that help them to make friends, learn new skills and contribute to the community.

“The Town Jewels project is a perfect example of this and I look forward to seeing it progress with our partners and give local people who use Scott House a chance to show what they can do.”

Transported has commissioned local Boston talent Jane Kay as lead artist. Jane has been involved in several collaborative art productions in the town, including the Fisherman’s Memorial with the Boston and South Holland Woodcarvers and the Dolphin Lane Heritage Mosaic with the Boston School of Mosaic. She is creating the artwork with the Scott House centre users in through a mixed variety of mediums such as carving, ceramics and mosaic and looks to use recycled material as much as possible and has experimented with plastic bottle ‘bricks’.

Transported Director, Nick Jones, said: “The project is an exciting opportunity to make practical improvements to small green spaces around the town. We think that it will contribute to improving wildlife and will add interest to the sites through the creation of high quality crafted artworks and will give people an opportunity to be healthier by interacting with nature and being outdoors and happier by working together.’

“This project is another in a long line of Arts Council England enabled projects to improve public realm in Boston and South Holland and we’re delighted with the support as they enable a series of artworks that keep visitors coming back to the area and collecting memories.

“We are also grateful to be working with a fantastic cohort of partners, whom without it would be difficult to deliver a project of this scale, ambition and purpose.”