The Cultural Sisters Annual Report 2021 THE ¢uLTuRAL SISTERS
What a year it has been …
The Cultural Sisters artists worked with over 750 people this year, a surprisingly high number considering we were working in new and restricted ways. We learnt that artists are resilient and very good at finding new ways to work. We enjoy problem solving and rose to the challenge facing artists and participants to continue, or begin engaging, with participatory arts and health projects. We became Community Health Champions and received a grant to help us share health messages with people we worked with and received training on Health Literacy and Listening Skills. We saw the return of SPLAT Children's Summer Activities where we ran carnival arts sessions and returned to CAFAG to complete a series of community glass workshops previously interrupted by the pandemic. We are very grateful to our trustees and friends who continue to support us, encourage us and remind us of the importance of our work.
Some lovely words from one of our Co-Chairs …
I was very proud to be elected The Cultural Sisters Co-Chair again, they are an inspirational organisation who in 2021 reached 26 years of existence, which in the field they work in is a magnificent achievement. What has been outstanding throughout that time has been the consistent high quality of work, the enthusiasm of participants and partners, and the dedicated work of many artists.
2021 saw the Lockdown easing, and face to face projects, with many precautions, were able to happen again. I would like to thank the funding bodies and organisations who worked with us to make the special take place in so many places and with so many people. It’s been a very hard couple of years for artists who depend on project work for their income, The Cultural Sisters is fortunate to have so many great artists involved, and we were able to help support them in a small way through the most difficult time.
I would also like to thank the other Trustees who have been able to meet online and have given their time in many most valuable ways. We are always looking for more people to be involved and if you are interested, contact us.
Tim Diggles, Co-Chair
High Peak Community Arts Connect Keep Learning Take Notice Be Active Give
5 Ways to Wellbeing Bunting Project
We designed this textile project for Project Earth in response to a local public health project themed on the New Economics Foundation; 5 Ways to Wellbeing campaign.
The people of Buxton and New Mills were invited to make bunting to display in their windows or gardens to help create connection in their neighbourhoods.
After coming out of lock down and with the threat of another coming, we needed to create a project for 50 people that could be done both at a group with support from an artist, and independently and safely at home. Most of the sessions were postponed due to another lockdown and people were happy to have a task to work on from home.
We provided 50 individual kits of fabric, a bunting template, tape, ribbon and paints and brushes for members of the 2 groups to use with us, or at home. This resist method uses masking tape and fabric paint to create pictures on fabric , they could cut out and sew using materials they had had in previous kits and practice their skills learnt during homebased sewing projects.
https://www.highpeakarts.org/
https://neweconomics.org/2008/10/five-ways-to-wellbeing
Stitch Around Time
Early in the year, Under One Roof commissioned us to work in Shelton on a textile project based around St Marks with a focus on heritage.
As participatory artists, we were tasked to research, practice and report on how to connect the church’s heritage with the diverse communities that surrounds St Marks.
Artists Sam Mace and Deb Rogers spent time experiencing the church, whilst documenting and discussing the furniture, the kneelers and recently uncovered embroidery work. They designed a small textile project and set about finding people to work on it and a model that might bring them together and maybe connect them to the church. They pulled out many of our old and newly found skills and approaches and talked to park visitors, shop owners and workers, community projects in the area, phoned people and invited friends and associates directly and through social media.
. You can find a copy of our scoping report here
Sam and Deb devised a range of sewing sessions, some people met with us online, others in the Asian fabric shops in Shelton and others sewed at home. We invited people to get in touch to collect one of 20 kits from us, or have one delivered, and respond creatively using the inspirational images, tools and some fabrics provided by Anmol Fashions. You can find the guide to making a . heritage cross-stitch here
Some of the 20 stitchers have continued to work with us creating fabulous costumes and creative workshops for our local Pride. Others have joined us on other new projects and workshops.
Liz Ankers Staffs Uni Placement
Following an introductory online session with fine art students from Staffordshire University Arts department, a second year BA student contacted us to gain experience of participatory arts work.
Liz Ankers was a fabulous student who wanted to gain experience of participatory arts. During the months she remotely spent with us, she used her own practice to inspire the creative sessions she designed for participants.
Under our guidance and support Liz planned and led a socially distanced creative activity outdoors, with members of arts and health group Wonder Women. She also made instructive films for them and made-upand delivered creative kits, to use and follow and led an additional creative session with them on zoom.
This was a very interesting time to learn with us, the pandemic meant we had adapted our way of working and Liz was able to test out our traditional and new approach to participation.
We were able to demonstrate the resilience of artists and our ability to keep changing and moving forward whilst maintaining our values.
We invited Liz to work with us again at Pride.
Common Purpose Books : A scrapbooking project for local people attending Space to Connect
We delivered a lovely day of making with local people attending the BArts ‘Space to Connect’ project in Stoke Town and half a day to members of the ASHA project.
Deb worked with 35 people, and 2 volunteers providing knowledge, enthusiasm and a range of quirky, interesting and relevant materials and the tools to create different pages related to happiness and wellbeing. Common Purpose books encourage personal and deeper thinking around a subject. Each person took their new book home to use for personal reflection.
The Lyme Trust
A new creative partnership developed with The Lyme Trust, a local housing charity supporting people with mild to moderate mental health issues. Sixteen people took part in creative workshops. Tie dyeing was a popular and very successful activity that helped participants feel that art was less scary than they thought. A Mexican Day of the Dead themed collagraphic printmaking session later in the year, took participants by surprise as the technique was so effective and simple and the prints could be used on Halloween cards or given as gifts.
Threading Time with Clair Holdsworth
We joined up with Clair Holdsworth, a creative researcher from Keele University, to explore the preciousness of time and how it impacts on ourselves as women and creatives. Twelve female artists and friends came together with Clair at her exhibition at Keele Uni having made-time to sit and talk and make Dorset Buttons.
We invited another 12 friends of The Cultural Sisters to join us and Clair at the Art Stop to do some experimental sewing and dyeing whilst thinking and talking about the benefits, short and long term, of ‘making time’ to make.
Stoke on Trent Pride Hanley Park August 2021
We saw the return of Stoke on Trent Pride in 2021.
To celebrate, we created some beautiful iridescent costumes, inspired by ‘freedom’, for the Pride Park Parade, taking us back to our costume making days and World Aids Day Parades of the late 90’s.
We commissioned 18 of our creative queer allies to run ‘freedom’ themed workshops on the day including plate decals, clay rituals, costume, drawing and painting and placard making. We also commissioned and supported local nonbinary artist Red Gibson to manage the Fringe tent.
Many, many thanks to all the fabulous artists and volunteers that help us bring creativity to Stoke on Trent Pride, we feel it makes it very special and we could not do it without you. X
We engaged 200plus people in the parade, 140 people in pre and post parade workshops, and 80 people saw the poetry, comedy, singer songwriters and talks in the Fringe tent.
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High Peak Community Arts
During July we supported 40 fabulous people from High Peak Community Arts - Project eARTh groups on a lovely African Arts themed project designed by a fabulous High Peak artist Amanda Whewell Amanda had prepared a thorough and inspiring worksheet and we encouraged group members in their exploration and learning and their weaving, printing and thinking. “Work with what you can find or have“ Mark Making - Painting - TingaTinga
High Peak Community Arts Clock Project … continued …
After 18 months of disruption to face to face creative workshops, we were able to continue the wonderful glass clocks project with the Project Earth Group in St. Annes church hall in Buxton. The project had been put on hold, mid-flow, since the first lock down in March 2020. We worked with over 20 fabulously creative people, some of them had designed and worked on the clocks with us in 2020, and others were new to the project. Over 5 weekly sessions, participants were able to learn glass fusing skills, with some refreshing their previous learning. Each person experimented with fused glass techniques to create an agreed element for their beautiful group clock.
The two completed clocks, 1 based on months and seasons, and the other themed on cogs and connections, are now being used in St Anne’s Church Hall, Buxton and the new High Peak Community Arts Building.
For more information…
https://www.highpeakarts.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/07/Annual-Evaluation-Report-HighPeak-Community-Arts-Project-eARTh-2020-21.docx.pdf
https://www.highpeakarts.org/wp-
content/uploads/2022/07/High-Peak-Community-Arts-ProjecteARTh-Evaluation-Report-June-2021-May-2022.pdf
‘Novels that Shaped our World’ project with Hanley Library and ASHA group
In 2019, Hanley Library staff invited us to work at the library with local refugee and asylum seekers to create a piece of work for the library based on cultural celebrations. The project was postponed due to Covid restrictions and 2 years later we designed an appropriate project engaging people from ASHA in Hanley Library, where we had conversations with the men, new to the city, about the library and how and what they celebrated.
In the library we collaged and drew mini version of ourselves in our favourite celebratory or fantasy outfits. we used copies of the mini people to create a pattern on fabric and used the fabric to make an African farmer inspired garment, represented and talked about during the library session.
the artwork is intended to be an interactive garment for people to try on. When passing the garment, a sound piece goes off and plays the voice of Yasse reading ‘The Path and The Way’, a story about us meeting in the library, a place he will be able to visit and learn and practice his English reading, writing and speaking skills.
The garment is touring the libraries of Stoke.
Novels that Shaped our World’ with Hanley Library and ASHA group images featuring Liza Rivia of The Cultural Sisters and Facinet Keita of ASHA
Statement of Financial Activities 2021
| Analysis Income Invoices Grants Other Total Expenditure Fees/Materials Running Costs Other Total Income from: Income Expenditure on: Expenditure Net income/(expenditure) Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
2021 2020 £15,544 £12,214 £1,500 £14,320 £590 £2 £17,634 £26,537 £14,234 £12,101 £2868 £2,401 0 £321 £17,102 £14,832 £17,634 £26,537 £17,102 £14,832 £532 £11,705 £11,996 £291 £12,528 £11,996 |
|---|---|
| £11,996 | |
| £12,528 |
We are very grateful for the help we get from our bookkeeper Kathy Lovatt, Jess Byron who manages our invoicing and Lynne Ball who audits our accounts, they all ensure our finances are kept in order.
A full set of accounts can be viewed on application to The Cultural Sisters
The Cultural Sisters 2020
Address
The Cultural Sisters, Art Stop, 72 Hartshill Rd, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7RB Phone : 07979 238067 E-mail: info@theculturalsisters.org.uk facebook.com/theculturalsisters twitter:@culturalsisters Insta:@theculturalsisters Charity Number: 1159564
Trustees
Tim Diggles Co-Chair; Carl Wilson Co-Chair; Kathy Lovatt, Mike Oliver, Penny Vincent
The Cultural Sisters Deborah Rogers Fiona Waddle Associate Artists:
Jessica Byron, Sam Mace, Liza Rivia, Penny Lane, Liz Ankers, Peta Murphy, Melanie Stace
Accountants Auditor - Lynne Ball Bookkeeper - Kathy Lovatt Bank: The Co-operative Bank
CULTURAL SISTERS INCOME EXPENDITURE 2021
| DATE | Bal c/f | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.01.2021 31.01.2021 28.02.2021 31.03.2021 30.04.2021 31.05.2021 30.06.2021 31.07.2021 30.08.2021 30.09.2021 31.10.2021 30.11.2021 31.12.2021 |
11996.15 11977.75 11630.56 9812.17 9625.81 9564.62 12232.00 12259.62 9340.12 10408.62 12690.29 13892.32 12527.91 |
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4359.00 270.00 1430.00 3760.00 2700.00 3115.12 2000.00 |
18.40 347.19 1818.39 186.36 61.19 1691.62 242.38 4349.50 2691.5 418.33 1913.09 3364.41 |
| 17634.12 | 17102.36 | ||
| Bal c/f | 11996.15 |
|---|---|
| Income | 17634.12 |
| Expenditure | -17102.36 |
| Bal 31.12.2021 | 12527.91 |
| Lynne Ball | |
| 11 Joanhurst Crescent | |
| Stoke on Trent | |
| Staffs | |
| ST1 4LA |
16[th] October 2022
Independent Examiners Report of The Cultural Sisters ending 31[st] December 202
I report on the accounts of The Cultural Sisters for the year ended 31[st] of December 2021 It is my responsibility to
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Examine the accounts under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Co
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Conclusion
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention and the accounts prese
L l Ball Imrsl
21
mmissioners (under Section 145 (5)(b) of the 2011); and
ented are a true and accurate reflection of The Cultural Sisters for the year ending 31[st] of Decembe
er 2021