"Artful Lodgers"

My sister, the ever wonderful Georgia Artus has set up a workshop called 'Artful Lodgers'. This is to join up with her 'Changing Spaces' new initiative which has been developed by Cambridge City Council in partnership with the Love Cambridge scheme. The idea is that all people can be creative in different ways and this level of creativity should be increased on a day to day basis. Whether it is doodling on a piece of paper whilst having a break from work or painting a huge abstract painting of whatever comes into your mind, the idea is that everyone should be creative!!!

Georgia has held many workshops at 'The Shop XVIII Jesus Lane'; this is a place that brings together Cambridge’s creative community by providing a space visual and performing art and design.

'The aim of ‘The Shop’ is to provide a forum where members of the local community can meet, share ideas, support artwork in progress and make new contacts in an informal and inclusive environment.'

'Artful Lodgers' also work with the young people from the YMCA, otherwise known as the Young Men's Christian Association, dedicated to looking after and supporting the young people, particularly in their times of need. I have met a few of the members and they have all been really nice people, who are willing to get into working with others and create some amazing art. Their message was to show people how discriminated against they are, so their artwork focused on who they are and what kind of lives they lead. In one of the pieces of art, the girl had written about how she shouldnt be judged on the area she lives in, but instead how she lives her life in that area, proving to people that her creative imagination is just as useful as anyone else's.

I was even told by one girl, that sometimes she is unable to get out  a DVD from the well known movie rental store 'Blockbuster', because they do not have a house of their own to live in and apparently the YMCA is not a good enough location to be put down as their accomodation when applying for a Blockbuster card. I was unbelievably shocked by this and was really interested in getting more involved to make sure that people realise how hard life must be for these young people.

Today 'Artful Lodgers' were filmed by ITV Fixers Programme, I was invited along to help and unfortunately was dragged into the filming whilst producing a collage with my sister and her friend Hannah. Our collage was done quickly, to show how our imagination and ideas were changing rapidly; our idea was to show the colourfulness in your life when you are creative and how your life can seem black and white when you are not creative enough. We put the sentence, "I dont think people take messing around seriously enough" on it, which was made up by my sister and the contradiction of whats being said was loved by the whole film crew so it had to go on there!

After the workshop the artwork was put into the window of the store 'Mr Shoes' in Market Square along with work from local celebrated artist Anji Jackson-Main. Everyone is welcome to take a look :)