Tess Radcliffe worked with The Good Shepherd and local families, including families who participate in NAC’s holiday activities, Whitmore Reans library users and those who use The Good Shepherd’s services. Tess worked closely with Chris Manley who has a studio at NAC and facilitates regular art club sessions for Good Shepherd clients.
Through photography and film, shared conversations at mealtimes in the Good Shepherd dining hall, during art club sessions, and in early years and family workshops, participants discussed their ideas, hopes, and concerns about their lives within the context of the project, with great generosity, warmth, and enthusiasm.
The film participants created with Tess is shown here – the banner below was exhibited in October 2022, and was made by families at Good Shepherd and was supported through Engage’s ‘Let’s Create Art’ Creative Bursaries. Photographs taken by families from Whitmore Reans library, on their Photo Walk Workshop, are also shown here after being exhibited at the library in 2022.
People Tess worked with expressed a wide range of interests for activity that could take place at NAC and/or Good Shepherd including:
- specialist tutoring in the fine arts as well as craft.
- Family craft activities
- Education and learning in general (many already attended classes at college in maths, English, ICT, and crafts.)
- Training to do coaching, teaching, mentoring, and training delivery, which would help people to find enjoyable and meaningful work, and enable clients to tell their stories to help others who found themselves in the same, challenging situation as them.
- Practical skills to help people progress and potentially gain employment
- Activities which provide mental space for relaxation for adult clients including:
- guided meditation
- access to the outdoors and nature through fishing, organised walks, gardening and other sports
- Games room
- Roast dinners
- Services which support self-presentation such as cut-price hairdressing, grooming and chiropody
Thanks to all of the contributors to this project especially the team and volunteers at the Good Shepherd and artist Chris Manley.
Good Shepherd Wolverhampton
Good Shepherd provide a regular food service in the city and, more recently, have expanded the support they offer to include a day centre, meaningful activity programme, Housing First service and private sector supported lettings scheme. They also host a multi-agency hub bringing together a wide range of agencies including health, education, training, and support services. 2022 was the organisations’ 50th Anniversary. www.gsmwolverhampton.org.uk
Tess Radcliffe
Tess is a digital artist based in Walsall in the Black Country, working with film, moving image, audio, and photography. Her work explores landscapes in their broadest form, and with an emphasis on local and overlooked areas. She is particularly interested in places and spaces where nature/wildlife intersects and interacts with local suburban, urban, and industrial spaces, and places. www.tessradcliffeartist.com
