We keep a photographic record of each project for our website and publicity purposes, taking care to ensure that we abide by regulations and host requirements concerning distribution of photographs of young and/or vulnerable people.  Below are photos with more details of some of the projects

2022 to 2024

Barton Wall Project

TASO jointly funded the Barton Wall Project with local councillors, Thames Valley Police, Youth Ambition and community groups.  This followed the building by the estate community of an eight-foot square wall in a prominent position on the green to be decorated ‘in an eye catching way’.  Our contribution was to fund street-art workshops led by a professional artist for children from 6-11 and 12-16 in interactive sessions (the Barton Bash), working on designing street art, and gaining the essential graffiti skills of taping and spray painting.  The aim of the project was to build self-esteem of the participants, to encourage self-development and to increase the feeling of community for the whole estate.   There were also sessions open to everyone, including parents and carers of participants and members of the police, which greatly increased the opportunities for community interaction on the currently troubled estate, and proving very popular with everybody.   On the strength of the success of this project, the organisers are applying to the Arts Council for further grants.

Cutteslowe Community Centre

TASO funded a holiday programme of professionally led workshops focusing on arts and crafts for 17 children over the age of 7, which formed part of a community summer programme for 339 children from over 200 families.  There had been little youth activity on the Cutteslowe estate during Covid, and anxiety about the rise of consequent anti-social behaviour.  The projects gave children opportunities to learn new skills and socialise with their friends.   Our part of the project produced some good screenprinting, modelling and other artwork. Unexpectedly Ukrainian children also joined the group, helping their integration into the community and helping them work through their trauma by making dens in the woods from found objects and clay modelling.

 

Pegasus Theatre

TASO helped to fund the ‘Play in a Week’ project for 8-12 year old children with a wide range of difficulties, including mental and physical health problems, learning needs and anger management issues. They were helped to devise a play about solving difficulties on a desert island, which, at the end of a week in the summer, they performed for family and friends. They gained producing, directing and performance skills, and behavioural challenges were helped by the professional team and the whole group. Participants learned strategies to build their social skills and confidence and to diminish their social anxieties, whilst enjoying the experience so much that they hoped to continue working with Pegasus in the future.

 

Horspath Primary School

TASO funded a whole school project, including all the children from the Nursery to Year 6, led by Francesca Shakespeare as part of the Magic Lantern ‘Feeling Safe’ scheme, working with each class for a whole day. The theme of the project is based on the school motto ‘Let your light shine’ and aimed to build confidence and positive mental health by creating something beautiful in a safe place. The children’s artwork will become a long lasting part of the school, culminating in a number of permanent artworks both in the school building and in the playground. The children had, to quote the school feedback, ‘an amazing time’.

 
 
 

SS Philip & James Primary School

TASO funded the involvement of six children aged 9-10 years old from this school for art therapy at ‘At the Bus’ – a quirky converted, colourful vehicle away from their school, which provides exciting, imaginative art therapy for children who are finding it difficult to navigate relationships both at home and at school and who have challenging home circumstances. The interruption of school attendance during the pandemic meant many children were withdrawn, suffered bereavement, trauma and loss, and some had newly arrived in this country. Children identified by the school were provided with a safe, comfortable environment with carefully planned sessions for ten weeks and have made good progress and are fully involved in a range of activities to create calm and wellbeing, with encouraging results. There is significant progress in their willingness to attend school and are newly enthusiastic about changing schools at 11, and the school intends to repeat the exercise next year.

 

Fabula Arts with Wytham Woods

TASO funded, in partnership with Oxford University, a week of exploration of the environment of Wytham Woods, using interactive theatre trails led by actors and creative workshops using drama, art, writing and music. The aim was to encourage the arts, raise awareness of environmental issues and the beauty of nature and learn about the history of the wood and its role as a centre of climate change research. Taking part were five Oxford schools (including one special school and home-educated children) each day for a week in June. Parents and families were invited to join the children (aged 8-11) during the following weekend to share and learn from the children’s experiences.

 

Gosford Hill School

TASO supported the school to re-establish opportunities for ceramics by funding the purchase of a kiln to replace outdated and unsafe equipment. The project was seriously disrupted by Covid, but gained momentum in 2022. Pottery was included in the curriculum for Year 9 students, aiming to encourage the personal, imaginative design capability of each student. This has built confidence in their own creativity, first by looking at artist Kate Malone’s use of natural forms, then thinking about coral reefs with their features, colours and textures.

 

Wolvercote Young People’s Club

The Wolvercote Young People’s Club Arts Café re-opened after a difficult time during the pandemic.  TASO funded four sessions with the young people, upcycling old, used furniture in the club, learning new skills like decoupage and mosaic work, and making something old and tired into something beautiful and useful.   This work enhanced discussions about our ‘throw away’ society and the value of recycling.

 

Restore – “The Power of Paint”

TASO provided materials for an adult mental health project run by Restore. The project involved ten participants who benefitted from art therapy to aid their recovery from mental health problems, helped them express themselves through painting and enhanced their wellbeing and confidence. Many members had not painted for years due to their declining mental health, but were excited to remember and build on old skills. Their paintings were both abstract, expressing their feelings, and representational, featuring flowers, birds and wildlife, and are displayed by the Beehive Recovery group, to the pleasure of the artists.

 

Headway

Headway provides support for adults with brain injuries caused by a sudden, traumatic life change.   Using art as therapy and rehabilitation improves co-ordination and fine motor skills but also relieves stress, anxiety and depression, symptoms of brain injury.   The project took place during the national Action for Brain Injury Week and included local media coverage.   TASO funded the art tutor, who worked with 45 adults, using art in a variety of media, encouraging the participants to interpret and portray their own personal experience and the impact trauma has had on their lives and that of their families, friends and the interruption to their work and careers.   The project was in collaboration with Sunningwell School of Art, and culminated in a display of painting and ceramics at the Headway Rehabilitation Centre.

 

Daybreak Dementia Day Clubs

Daybreak runs several dementia friendly clubs which help people with dementia to continue to live at home and be supported by meeting together in a stimulating environment. TASO funded music sessions at the Limes club. Music is a core tool used in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, using specialist musicians. It greatly reduces depression and boosts the confidence of individuals to increase social engagement. The programme was constantly interrupted and curtailed by covid difficulties, but clearly revived happy memories and gave great pleasure to participants, who sang and danced and clearly had moments of joy.

2020 to 2022

St Swithun’s CE Primary School – 2021

TASO, with match funding from The Arts Society Community Grants 2021 ‘covid’ programme, sponsored an art history week at St Swithun’s CE Primary School. The project was led by Francesca Shakespeare. Children from
Reception to Year 6 were introduced to and explored the meaning of artworks from cave paintings to modern installations. Using a wide range of unusual materials and inspired by these explorations and the support of the facilitators, the children enjoyed creating their own artworks, and in the words of the Head, ‘the results of the week have been amazing’.

Photo Oxford Festival – October 2021
This innovative project funded by TASO and other grant givers, brings together young people from contrasting socio-economic backgrounds together to introduce new skills in photography and visual awareness of the role of women in society. The shared and collaborative experience contributes to individuals’ emotional well-being and their cultural differences. Photography transcends conventional communications facilitating story telling and exploration of identity with compelling images. It bridges the gaps to reach out across social divide of vulnerable women and how they see them themselves and allows discussion to view Oxford City from different perspectives….

The range of fascination events – workshops, exhibitions and discussions can be seen on this link. They will be well worth your interest.

Click here to visit their website https://www.photooxford.org/whats-on/events

B-Art-On Boxes Project 2019-20

This project was fully funded by TASO and the work was done in conjunction with the Museum of Oxford. The memory boxes were created and handled by fifty three people from Barton in a community project which encouraged Barton residents to share and discuss where they live; create and display artwork and handling boxes made by local people; and make something to take home. These memory boxes contain photos, craft materials and prompts to participants to share their experience and connections in Barton.
They also shared in a reminiscence session on Barton in the Museum of Oxford, which encouraged them to reflect and create artworks following the thoughts about what Barton means to them now. The project resulted in a permanent display being made, with a continuing relationship with the Neighbourhood Centre and the church group.

June 2019 to June 2020

A Nice Cup of Tea?
TASO supported this highly successful community project which celebrated the Windrush Generation and its legacy. Working with the local African – Caribbean Community the aim was to look behind the luxury teacups and sugar bowls in The Ashmolean Collection and to tell a different story about the Colonial History of tea, sugar and transatlantic slavery. An art installation was created from copied images of photographs of the participant families histories which were collaged on to tea sets which were then broken and created into an art work which symbolises the dislocation of families moving to Britain. This is still displayed in the Ceramics Gallery (No 40) at The Ashmolean and accompanied by a video of the personal stories told.
MOMA Oxford Sites of Curiosity
TASO supported Modern Art Oxford’s Young Visiting Artists’ summer workshop 2019 called Sites of Curiosity for children impacted by parental imprisonment. The programme consisted of a range of creative projects and experiences for young people to encourage confidence and participation in art galleries helping them to find their voice, grow in confidence and make new friends.

10 young artists aged 6-12 years were provided with opportunities to build resilience, self-esteem and confidence. They learnt to work together, share their ideas and respect those of others. The project gave vulnerable young people, unused to the gallery environment, the opportunity to participate in multiple creative activities. From wearing Modern Art Oxford lanyards and shadowing gallery staff to designing their own tours of the building for members of the public, participants developed a sense of ownership and belonging. Sites of Curiosity was broadcast on Instagram during the project inviting the public to learn more about mobile architecture: https://bit.ly/2ui2rr2

“It was great to see our drawings become real and to see how you scale up a tiny cube to a big idea… I’ve never made anything like this before!”  – Young artist

“I wish I could do this as my job!” – Young artist Luke from East Oxford

Soundabout
The Arts Society Oxford helps fund the wonderful Soundabout Inclusive Choir which runs monthly from a Community Centre in North Oxford.
The choir has been an enormous success bringing together people with learning difficulties, their families, members of a local choir and singers of all ages and abilities who would like to join.

“Necessity is the mother of invention” and this Covid 19 crisis has inspired them to develop virtual Soundabout sessions for the first time- Soundabout Live! interactive music-making sessions for people of all ages with severe and profound learning disabilities has started. The first session on Soundabout’s Facebook page Soundabout was on Saturday 21st March, led by experienced music practitioner, Steve Harper.

 

Oxford Philharmonic, FUNomusica Family Concert
Oxford Philharmonic applied to TASO for a grant to cover the fee of the conductor/presenter of a FUNomusica Family Concert in Oxford Town Hall in June 2019. Children and their families from Oxford and surrounding areas were invited to experience orchestral classical music in the relaxed and educational atmosphere that is FUNomusica. More than half of the audience of 250 children and members of the local community with special needs, received free tickets. The programme is aimed at 4-8 year olds, but the concerts are open and welcoming to people of all ages.

TASO was pleased to support exposing and involving children and people with special needs to classical music. Not only does the music improve their social development and enhance creativity but it boosts self-esteem, develops language and reasoning skills, builds curiosity and contributes to all-around better growing experience. The Concert was a huge success.

“The concert was hugely enjoyed by our whole family especially the How to Train your Dragon theme music. My little daughter has autism and been obsessed by dragons most of her life, so it made her day.”

“It was brilliant!! Kids really got involved in the music and were still talking about it at bedtime. Thank you for making this possible for us.”

Restore Mental Health Charity Photography Project
A grant given for a photography project. Participants with the help of a tutor photographed portraits and views of Oxford, the results of which were shown at an exhibition on 22nd October. There are cards on sale in the Restore café which is well worth a visit.  The photographs were all of a very high standard and most participants were at the exhibition.

The Cake Cutting Ceremony by Helen White (Photography Tutor) and Lesley Dewhurst (Chief Executive of Restore) The cake in the shape of a camera was made by one of the participants.

Link to a short video interview about the project by Charlotte Watmough. (Head of Regional Services)

https://www.restore.org.uk/2019/members-photography-project-grand-opening

Digital Portraits Ashmolean Museum and Rose Hill Primary School
Four workshops over a number of months working with 46 children. The children visited the galleries to draw inspiration from portraits in the collection for 2D portraiture. The Ashmolean supplied a range of props and costume for the children to use if they wished and then took photos which they imported into an iPad app called Sketches.

The children used Chinese brushes to try out painted portraits and another ipad app called Zen Brushes. During the summer workshops, the focus was 3D sculpture and graffiti. The children looked at ancient and modern sculpture and had lively discussions about ancient and modern graffiti.

Comments from the participants:

• “I will remember the graffiti wall and my hideous mask.”
• “Thank you for all the wonderful photographs – this was an amazing project.”
• “I learnt that I can make sculptures.”
• “We got to do art.”

June 2018 to June 2019

Old Fire Station – ‘Our Place’ second year
This is the first project TASO has funded over a two year period, as well as being match funded.

The Old Fire Station works with a range of arts particularly aimed at the homeless. The ‘Our Place’ project engaged about 35 homeless people, 5 professional artists and more than 2000 people including visitors to the final exhibition. It has helped AOFS and Crisis develop a model for social inclusion by engaging the wider public in workshops and the final exhibition. The project increased the skills of the artists working with the homeless and enabled those with severe disadvantages to develop personal skills.

As well as directly benefiting those involved, ‘Art at the Old Fire Station’ workers feel the experience of managing a 2 year project has been invaluable in developing their longer term approach working with disadvantaged individuals.

On a number of occasions TASO has had very favourable comments for the support we have given.

Below are images of the art hanging in the final exhibition.

Pitt Rivers – Youth Action
TASO sponsored the Pitt youth action team which is an ongoing project involving 16-19 year olds as part of possible career development. They are engaged through meetings with the activities of the Museum and have the opportunity to curate their own showcase.

The funding for this project was to act as a bridge until it became self-funding in future years.

Ark T – ‘The ROARsome Collective’
TASO funded two artists to create costumes with help from eight disabled artists aged 11 to 40 over four weeks. The participants then performed in the costumes at the Oxford City of Light Festival in November 2018. It was a very successful collaboration and delighted the young people to join the Festival.

Unfortunately we have no pictures of this, it went very well.

HMP Bullingdon – Painting Workshops
TASO helped to finance a project to support an artist to run painting workshops for up to 12 young adults in HMP Bullingdon. They produced paintings for an exhibition at the prison with a subsequent exhibition taking place in Didcot.

June 2017 to June 2018

The Old Fire Station – ‘Our Place’ project
This is the first project TASO has funded over a two year period, as well as being match funded.

The Old Fire Station works with a range of arts particularly aimed at the homeless. The ‘Our Place’ project engaged about 35 homeless people, 5 professional artists and more than 2000 people including visitors to the final exhibition. It has helped AOFS and Crisis develop a model for social inclusion by engaging the wider public in workshops and the final exhibition. The project increased the skills of the artists working with the homeless and enabled those with severe disadvantages to develop personal skills.

As well as directly benefitting those involved, ‘Art at the Old Fire Station’ workers feel the experience of managing a 2 year project has been invaluable in developing their longer term approach working with disadvantaged individuals.

On a number of occasions TASO has had very favourable comments for the support we have given.St Ebbe’s School – Art Cards
This project was based on the design and production of 100 playing card-size Art cards involving 51 children who designed 100 cards. Their artistic influences included – Duchamp, Hokusai, Picasso, Mondrian and Pollock.

As part of a European project St Ebbe’s School was twinned with a school in Romania whose pupils also produced cards which were eventually exchanged between the two schools.

 

Helen House – Sibling Mosaic Art
This was initially a project with Helen and Douglas House but was moved to Helen House due to the closure of Douglas House.

The project supported siblings of children with life limiting conditions. An artist led a weekend workshop for the siblings to produce mosaics reflecting on the feelings they had towards their sister/ brother’s condition and living in Helen House.

The mosaics produced during the project are powerfully expressive.

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2017 – The Highfield Unit

For 2017 in partnership with Artscape and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we provided funding for a mural on the long fence around the Highfield unit in the Warneford Hospital. The Highfield unit provides specialist inpatient services for young people aged 11-18 with acute mental health needs. The open space enclosed by the fence provides a calm outdoor space. The project engaged the young people at all stages and started with design workshops. The artist, Dan Wilson, used shared ideas to develop a story board and from these the design took shape.

 

In the summer holidays Dan and a fellow artist Tom Webb painted and sprayed the fence. The young people had indoor workshops to design and paint five large pictures to complement the Mural. The results have been very well received with tremendous comments from parents, staff and most importantly the young people themselves.

2016 – Mosaic Project for Young People with Acute Mental Health Needs

We have recently funded a series of workshops (over the Easter break) for the design and production of a mosaic sculpture by residents of the Highfield Unit, a state-of-the-art NHS facility providing specialist in-patient services for young people aged 11 to 18 with acute mental health needs. This project, led by Becky Paton, a local mosaic artist also experienced in working with young people, has been completed, and the sculpture erected in the grounds of the unit for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future residents, and of staff members.

Initial design for the mosaic, and the finished product before being installed in the hospital grounds.

2016 Joint schools project for pre GCSE students

Young Arts funded a series of workshops in June 2016 for a secondary school project, based on family trees, in which St Gregory the Great Catholic School and the Oxford Academy worked together. This was the first time the 2 schools had undertaken a collaborative project.

 

The students’ work was guided by Claudia Figueredo, a local artist who specialises in working with young people (and who provided expert guidance and an injection of creativity into our previous Hospital School project).  The project concluded with an exhibition as part of their end of year Art display at each of the schools in July.

2016 Oxfordshire Arts Teachers  (OAT)

A small donation was made to the annual conference of OAT in July 2016, a day which brings together secondary art teachers across Oxfordshire to share ideas and try new approaches. Our funding enabled an artist to undertake a variety of creative mini workshops with participating teachers.

2015 Children’s Hospital School Printing Workshops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Children’s Hospital at the John Radcliffe had received a heating press as a donation. Young Arts sponsored a series of artist led sessions available to all children who attended the school. They created colourful designs which were printed onto small articles for them to take away – T shirts, phone cases, bags, pillow cases. An additional benefit was in teachers gaining the skills to design and experiment with the heat press. The Hospital School and Young Arts were delighted with the outcome. A successful application was made for central NADFAS funds to repeat the project.

2014 Sixth Form Art Competition among 9 Oxford Secondary Schools

Sixth form students submitted their work to be judged by Peter Rhoades, Tutor in Fine Art at Christ Church.

From over 40 entries, a Winner (shown here with her entry ‘Hands’) and 4 Highly Commended were selected. OxDFAS Young Arts gave Commendations to 2 additional works. All were on display at the North Wall in Summertown for a week, culminating in a presentation of prizes.

2012 Inset Training day for Primary Teachers

Twenty two Oxford primary teachers, with lead responsibility for art, attended an artist led study day, drawing on ideas from the Oxford environment. Young Arts subsequently sponsored 3 follow up projects in individual primary schools, after teachers had submitted bids to develop ideas from the study day. The children drew on their immediate school environment to produce creative works in a variety of media.