On Our Doorstep Art Buffet event will showcase Cleator Moor
A team of Cumbrian professional artists are serving up a tasty ‘Art Buffet’ and calling on the Cleator Moor community to come along and make their mark.
On Our Doorstep will see two days of art and craft activities, along with a free buffet, on
Saturday 14 March from 1pm to 5pm and Sunday 15 March from 12pm to 4pm at the
Crossfield Community Centre, Crossfield Road, Cleator Moor.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of age and skills, to make new creations which showcase
the town and its people in fun and imaginative ways. They could focus on special places,
history and heritage, or events like the carnival, and the area’s green spaces. The artists will
be using paint, film, maps and mosaics to build a curated exhibition which will go on display
in a public venue in the Summer.
There will be health and wellbeing benefits too. Research has shown that art and creativity
can be good for mental health, and they can bring communities together, fostering
friendships and a sense of purpose.
The team has come up with some ideas designed to inspire creativity – from ‘Funny Fyaces’
masks and portraits, to ‘Spontaneous Signposts’ and alternative maps which point out the
best things about Cleator Moor, as well as smartphone film workshops and the chance to
bring old photos to life with colour and texture.
The On Our Doorstep project is being led by Cumberland Council with funding from
Sellafield Social Impact Fund.
Di McGhee and Sophie Bass are both based in Cleator Moor and are just two of the artists
taking part in the drop-in sessions. They will be joined by Frizington-based Janice Murray,
Whitehaven’s Anne Blankson-Hemans, Anja Phoenix who lives on the Solway Coast,
Maryport’s Charlotte Stephenson, and Clare Parker who lives near Egremont.
Councillor Anne Quilter is Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy
Places. She said: “We are investing heavily in Cleator Moor through a £22.5 million
Government-funded regeneration project and these are exciting times for the town.
“Whatever your connection to Cleator Moor, we would love you to come and get creative at
this Art Buffet. Maybe you live there now, grew up in the area, have worked there, or have
memories of holidays and events, please get involved and showcase everything which
makes it special.
“I can’t wait to see the completed exhibition which will really help put Cleator Moor on the
map.”
For more information about the arty events visit www.onourdoorstep.org
