Community

The Art Station offers creative sessions for individuals and groups in our local area, co-producing activities where appropriate. We work with local organisations to host activities together in different venues and to promote and engage the community across organisations. We’re currently working with Saxmundham Library, Saxmundham Museum, Leading Lives, Good Neighbourhood Scheme IP17.

We are focusing more work on the environment and our local natural wildlife. Our Saturday Nature Walks in Spring 2022 were a pilot project  – an opportunity for children and families to enjoy a local walk in Saxmundham, discover local nature, footpaths and green spaces and take part in creative activities together – led by artists Hanna Varga and Jevan Watkins Jones. Funded by the Covid Continuity Fund for Culture, Suffolk County Council. This was a fun activity that families really enjoyed. In 2023 we hope to build on this project and start to map the local environment and the neglected River Fromus with support from artists and the community – creating a new nature path around the town and surrounding landscape  with new wildlife shelters and seeding and planting to encourage and support wildlife.. The new nature walk will highlight how we can conserve natural wild spaces and protect species locally.

We work with all age groups and through Top Times have just piloted activity with a brilliant group of older women and we hope to work with them again soon. In Lockdown our project Art in a Bag offered creative activities and high quality art materials for older people in their homes during lockdown. We delivered 140 Art in a Bags between December 2020 and April 2021. Funded by East Suffolk Community Partnerships, East Suffolk Council.

PhotoShed is a pilot group for men over 40 to get together around an interest in photography. A chance to socialise, get out and take photos together and develop new skills, helping to alleviate isolation especially during and post Covid-19 restrictions. Funded by East Suffolk Community Partnerships and Saxmundham Town Council. We hope to run this activity again in Spring 2023, funding permitting.

Art Station supports bringing people and organisations together to celebrate across the seasons and recently took part in the Jubilee celebrations through our flag project, the 750th year celebration of our market town and coming up in December will be the Winter Celebration for the whole town to get together with performers and activities throughout the town.