Artful Dodgers at Fireside, Birmingham

Today was the first week of this project. Once a week the ARTful Dodgers team, (Emma Aries and I) will be entering the Fireside and SIFA in Birmingham. A charity that works to support individuals that find them selves homeless or in similar kinds of trouble. Offering drug and alcohol rehabilitation along with a place just to come, keep warm, and socialise with people in the same circumstances of those individuals.

The ARTful Dodgers, friday project will be working along side the SIFA and Fireside projects. Working towards producing art and craft works to sell (raising money for the organisation and the people involved), and encouraging a feeling of independence and discipline within the individuals partaking through the medium of art and craft.

The ARTful Dodgers team entered to a scene of chaos, ending with one man having his teeth knocked out by another. The atmosphere was soon calmed down, as people dispersed, whether it was to partake in the arts and craft project, or to another occupation they had for the rest of the day.

Individuals were invited to join a group piece in which they could together create a large work, which ultimately developed the theme of nature. This enabled people to get involved and leave when ever they felt they wanted to. And turned out to be a very proactive table with much going on. Others decided to sit alone and concentrate on an artistic interest of their own, drawing and begining to paint a beach scene, or perhaps just dooodleing. The craft section today revolved around porcelain painting, something that was activiley participated in at the start with people being drawn towards the larger group drawing closer to the end of the hour and a half session.

There are some characters in the group that the team are working with. A trio that seem to be inseparable, very kind, polite and gentile, a force to perhaps be reckoned with at the same time. A man sitting quietly in the corner, repeatedly drawing images of houses, perhaps a dream or a celebration? Amongst the group there is some incredible talent that is in need of nurture.

The ARTful Dodgers team will be keeping you up to date, with images of the work created, along with a small note to say how it all went, including all trials and tribulations (little tiffs) that have happened within the sessions, every week after the session. So Watch out!!