Alongside the Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening? exhibition tour, the Our Time, Our Place engagement programme has connected young people, local to each exhibition venue to explore the exhibition themes. In Salford, the programme has successfully engaged 12 local young people aged 11-16 years through Salford Youth Service since June 2023.
Guided by socially-engaged photographer Gwen Riley-Jones, the young participants have been actively involved in weekly evening sessions at the Little Hulton Family Hub. Armed with cameras and a newfound passion for photography, they have explored their local surroundings, honed their photography skills, learned the art of curating exhibitions, and built meaningful connections with their peers.
Following the success of the engagement project, at the Bank Top exhibition launch on 2nd November, each young participant was awarded their own camera, enabling them to continue expressing themselves through the powerful medium of photography.
The impact of the programme is evident in the words of Teagan, one of the young participants, who reflects on the exhibition, “Looking through a camera lens and taking a picture of what it really makes it look better than what it actually is, but when you take that camera away, you realise how beautiful it is just standing there.”
Read More about the engagement programme here: Engagement Programme: Our Time, Our Place – University of Salford Art Collection- University of Salford Art Collection