#BlackoutTuesday - After the Blackout, Keep Supporting & Championing Black Artists

I din’t want to let #BlackoutTuesday pass by without writing something about it, acknowledging its existence. Consider this blog entry a hastily written, ill-prepared drop in the ocean of this important international conversation.

I was considering whether to post a black square on my Instagram and tag it with #BlackLivesMatter, along with other hashtags; but artist, audio producer & founder of “Sister Shack” Tel Erbie raised the problem with doing so: If you were to click on the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, today, you’d see square after square of darkness occupy the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. It’s a great showing of support, of course, in response to the great outpouring of decades of bubbling anger at society’s inherent and sustained racial inequality, sparked by the death of George Floyd. But filling the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, a much-important free exchange of information about the movement, results in “hiding much needed activism and information” behind a wall of blankness.

In response, please keep the hashtags separate - and tell your networks to do so if you can. #BlackoutTuesday is important and has its place. But beyond today, after this hashtag reaches the end of its 24-hour window, do consider how you can continue to showcase your support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement; to share and champion black artists and their work.

Yusuf Yahaya - Singer, Musician, Wordsmith.

Yusuf Yahaya

"I like to consider myself a musician, but to be honest I’m just someone who asks questions over instrumentals."

“My songs are like questions. I feel as though we all have them, and I enjoy taking people on a quest to find answers, over striped back lo-fi instrumentals. My major inspirations are J Cole and Santan Dave in terms of style, but in terms of contents I owe that to all my exes.”

Tel Erbie

Alongside running the female creative collective ‘Sister Shack’, and working as a freelance DJ, Tel is currently studying an MA in Radio Production at the University of Sunderland.

“Our aim is to promote and empower women to continue their growth in any area they undertake. We strongly believe in female wellbeing and we aim to talk about and tackle any subject - from feminism, relationships, nutrition, boundaries, consent, racism - nothing is off limits.”

If you have artists or creatives you would like to nominate for inclusion on the ArtyParti website, or to take part in a discussion on our podcast, please do get in touch. We are keen to continue to grow our online space to champion and celebrate the work of creative professionals.

Creative Age Groups - Helping People with Dementia during Lockdown

Teams at Arts Centre Washington and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens have gone ‘above and beyond’ to maintain arts groups for people living with dementia.

Last year the Museum, supported by Arts Council England, set up a Creative Age group to help those living with dementia, and their carers, take part in arts activities. Creative Age groups have been meeting at Arts Centre Washington since 2016.

The Museum group worked with artists Richard Bliss and Michael Davies in weekly sessions to explore the Museum’s collections through different art forms including textiles, clay modelling, resin casting and printing.

This work culminated in exhibitions and a Creative Challenge event in February half term where the group supported a family printing workshop and sold printed tea towels they had made to raise funds for the group.

However, since the lockdown began in late March several members of the Sunderland and Washington groups have been shielding and have been unable to leave their homes.

“Members had really enjoyed taking part in the Creative Age groups and we didn’t want to lose the momentum they had built up. Our work was clearly having an impact so we wanted to find a way for them to continue,” said Rebecca Ball, Creative Director at Sunderland Culture.

“So Creative Age has become a phone project,” she added.

Art packs were posted to participants’ homes, including colourful papers and art materials. Since then participants have been sent instructions by post or e-mail for a creative art or craft activity linked to the Museum’s collections.

Museum and Arts Centre staff then call the participants each week to check in for a social chat and offer support with the activities, encouraging them to send in photos of completed work by e-mail.

Creative Age is the name for the overarching project set up by Equal Arts, a creative ageing charity, several years ago. Its aim is to support adults living with dementia, and their carers, to participate in arts activities to improve their wellbeing.

An extra activity the Creative Age groups have all enjoyed is Equal Arts art packs, posted out monthly with extra activity ideas to complete at home. All activities have been funded by Equal Arts, Arts Council England, and Sunderland City Council.

Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, Councillor John Kelly, said: “The project is currently planned up to the end of July but we anticipate it will continue until the requirement for shielding is over and groups can return to venues.

“I’d like to thank the teams from the Museum and Arts Centre Washington who have gone above and beyond to ensure members of the Creative Age groups can still be engaged in, and inspired by, arts activities.”

Arts Centre Washington has two Creative Age groups, the Have-a-Goers who were meeting on Thursdays, and Singing in the Rain, who were meeting on Fridays before the pandemic lockdown.

Professional artists lead the groups’ sessions and they have explored a range of different mediums such as drawing, textile, glass making, animation, singing and performance. Artwork created by Creative Age participants has been showcased in several exhibitions and events at Arts Centre Washington.

The groups have staged a performance held in Arts Centre Washington in 2018 as part of their event, The Creative Age Celebration, during which they also unveiled a textile banner they created thinking about their identity, their local area and its history.

One of the most recent projects the groups have been involved in is the Coat of Arms exhibition in collaboration with artist Betty Hill, which was officially opened during Creative Age Open Day in February 2020.

Thanks to Sunderland Culture’s Rob Lawson for sending us this press release; we’re happy to include releases on the ArtyParti website, to play our part in supporting the creative community online. But because we operate on a voluntary basis, we would appreciate a nominal financial donation where possible, or a sharing of our website / social media in return.