Art Doctors in Libraries
The Art Doctors have been working with librarians in Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees over the past six months to create bespoke creative activities for local libraries. We used the library and the things you can find in it as inspiration for creative activities, such as using children’s books as inspiration for drawings, looking at maps and book covers to inspire stories, drawing the shapes in the architecture, making cut-up poems from discontinued books and wondering about the lives of people who maybe used the building many years ago.
Then we thought about how people could see and access the activities without needing too much support from library staff, and came up with a something that can sit on a table, counter-top or shelf, that grabs people’s attention and has flexible content; meaning that library staff can change and adapt the activities according to the needs of the different libraries.
Just the word creative makes many people feel nervous (including the Art Doctors sometimes!), but these are fun activities that help explore how to get started on something creative, overcome any fears, find inspiration in the everyday, and have bit of a giggle. And, just in case you were wondering, you really DON’T need to be able to draw, paint, dance, write or play music to be creative… this is for everyone.
The activities will be launched at local libraries from late 2023, so why not drop in and see what’s going on.
The project has been supported by Arts Council England, Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees Libraries, and Leeds Beckett University.
Filed under: Art Doctors, Projects