pARTicipate is a three-year arts programme developed from a partnership between HMR, Oldham Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council and Arts Council England.
There is a wealth of research about the value that culture and arts can play within communities, particularly those undergoing regeneration. These benefits can range from improving the physical quality of the local environment to building stronger community relationships and community identity.
The pARTicipate programme is all about exploring and evaluating different ways of integrating art and the use of artists into the process of change in HMR neighbourhoods. Artists and creatives are assigned to work within and across our intervention neighbourhoods, supporting our work by focusing on the following key themes:
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Sense of place
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Community cohesion and integration
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Engagement and empowerment
pARTicipate is supported by a grant of £50,000 from Arts Council England North West, who is working in partnership with the housing market renewal pathfinders in the region to maximise the potential for arts and creative contributions to the remodelling and revitalisation of neighbourhoods (www.artscouncil.org.uk/housingmarketrenewal)
The pARTicipate programme is made up of six projects, using a range of art forms (everything from film to dance to public art) to bring residents together and find new ways of looking at everyday things. The six projects are:
Alt and Sholver environmental improvements
Woodbine Street, Rochdale - artist in residence
For more information about the pARTicipate programme please contact Shonagh Ingram on 0161 770 8577 or email shonagh.ingram@oldham.gov.uk
