Theatre for Change - one month in

28/02/2017 | Finding Maindee, New Paths, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community

Ismael Velasco explores progress of his ‘Theatre for Change’ New Paths project. This blog piece explains how he sees community as porous, networked and more than just geographical. Furthermore the make-up of the audiences at Ismael’s performances in Maindee have helped to see this part of Newport as a hub. Ismael describes the way that he is Finding Maindee as:

'A helpful insight, not least in terms of Maindee Unlimited's vision of attracting trade and developing Maindee as an inward destination within Newport. It is also useful learning in terms of future efforts.'

Ismael is always smiling - as we see in the image above from a Zimbabwean event at Community House on Eton Road. The following paragraphs describes how he is feeling having nearly completed one month of a two month project.

Introducing our Trustees: Angela Lloyd

15/12/2016 | Maindee Voices, Opinions

Maindee unlimited is steered by Volunteers from the local area. These trustees are unpaid local people that help steer the organisation in the right directions. They use their skills and networks to make sure the work carried out is effective and lasting.  This blog post is part of a series where we find out a little more about our Trustees. So next time you see them on the street you might be wanting to ask a question or just get some advice :)

 

Todays post is from Angela Lloyd. 

Community Opera Project starts in Maindee Dec 10th

08/12/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices

At Maindee Library on Saturday 10th December we will start the work of a community opera written and produced by Newport charity Operasonic.

Maindee has been chosen as the one place where the stories and content will be developed with the wider community, rather than being focused on a school as it is in other parts of Newport.

Rhian Hutchings (above left) and Polly Graham (right) came to meet us yesterday and explain what the project will do. Here are a few pointers that will help to explain the project.

 

Introducing our Trustees: Dave Moses

21/11/2016 | Finding Maindee, Maindee Voices, Development & Building

This is the first of the blog articles written by the trustees of Maindee Unlimited - the charity behind the Finding Maindee project and the library. Chair of trustees Dave Moses [pictured 4th from right below] starts of making the confession that he is a blog virgin. 

Here are Dave's words:

"I have not read, let alone written a blog, never mind here goes.

I was asked why I got involved with Maindee Unlimited, it seems like an simple question but it is not that easy to answer.

Maindee as a kid was some where I walked through with my Dad, from the bus station to Somerton Park to watch the County (we lived in Machen).  I really got to know the place when on a very cold and dark February in1976 I was posted to Maindee Police Station, next to the Library.  Over the next couple of years I got to know the place, street by street and the people, in good times and often in difficult times.  There is something about your first station that gets under your skin and becomes close to your heart."

Day 4 - Artists offering opportunities [and permission] to explore

27/10/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Development & Building

Today our lead artist Barrie J Morgan [picture below] wanted to contrast the previous two days. He explains that:

"I attempted to use basic forms (circles and triangles) to visually weave the three panels together - but not in an authoritarian way. The generated composition still invited contributors to freely express themselves over and around these forms. The beautiful thing with abstraction is that you can work intuitively; you are not required to visually reference nature or physical reality.”

This blog article gives an account of the day and also explains Barrie's excitement in experiencing some of the creativity which exists within the area. Lloyd Gittins, of whom we will find out more later, was an interesting young artist for Barrie to meet. 

Day 3 – An experience as rich and layered as the boards themselves

26/10/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Development & Building

The tone for today was set by the classical music playing from session leader ArtRat’s radio. The first person to get involved [below] had come over from Pill to Maindee to buy some cakes – she left a Miro inspired purple and yellow mark and there started a 6-hour session of expression. Steve Jones had been documenting the whole week so far and thought that day 3 had been:

“…as rich and layered as the boards turned out to be!”

Day 2 - People occupying the space [and starting to like it]

25/10/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Development & Building, Community

Today focused on print-making and was led by Cardiff-based artist Bill Chambers working alongside Marega [of Mr and Mrs Clark]. Reflecting on the day Bill said that he enjoyed meeting different people and was pleased they seemed to enjoy it. From his angle the playful experience was the most important element – seeing people of aged from 2 year to their 50s joining in.

As curator of the week’s work Marega said that it was:

“Great to know people have permission to input, create, add to and develop. It’s their space and together they are shouting out as loud as we can that ‘it’s yours to do with what you wish’ and for your community!”

Maindee Stories Opens this Friday, 21st 5-8.30pm

18/10/2016 | Finding Maindee, New Paths, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community, Learning, Library

Come along and see the extraordinary textile work from the women from Community House's 'Coffee and Laughs' group with members of  Beechwood Stitchers led by fine artist Marion Cheung. Included in the show are books that show the design process and the ideas that went into the work. Show runs until 11th November. There is so much to see!

The Chepstow Road Journey - Meeting 28 September

19/09/2016 | Street Media, Maindee Voices, Development & Building

You are invited to a celebration of the successes and reflection on the future opportunities for Maindee Village Partnership. This is a chance to see some of the films and media created over summer 2016.

Thousand Voices Project & Job Opportunity in Maindee

06/09/2016 | Street Media, Finding Maindee, Maindee Voices, Community

We are pleased that CHER (Community House Eton Road) has recently been awarded a 2 year grant of £55,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support for their 'A Thousand Voices' project. A part-time project co-ordinator role is currently being advertised [see below].

A Thousand Voices follows a similar approach to Finding Maindee by working with the community to collect and archive the stories. In this case people who have been involved with Community House since 1962 when the Presbyterian Church of Wales rebuilt the old church as a community centre with a chapel at its heart; so that the congregation could reach out to all the people of Maindee.

The deadline for the project coordinator is Monday 19 September 2016. For more details of the job please email mpriday@googlemail.com. 

Using Augmented Reality to Find Maindee

25/08/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices

We're working with Andy O'Rourke at Malarky Arts to try out Augmented Reality. Andy's work is centred on the stories from the customers at Sammy's Barbershop on Church Road. We would love you to check out what has been created and help us to refine the model.

Poems by Susan Lewis

24/08/2016 | Street Media, Finding Maindee, Maindee Voices, Opinions

After attending an embroidery session with the Coffee and Laughs group at Community House on Eton road. I met Susan Lewis who is a poet. She shared 2 poems that she has written during sessions with Artist Marion Cheung who has been developing a Maindee tapestry over the past few months. Below is an interview with her and if you scroll down you will hear the read the poems. 

 

Susan attends the Coffee & Laughs group which is a friendship group for women of all ages, faiths and cultures. They spend time together, chatting about all sorts of topics to get to know one another well.

 

Newport Legends found in Maindee

22/08/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community

Newport Legends is a participatory project created by Operasonic and beginning this September. Across the next tweleve months, four ‘Legend Maker’ groups will create a performance of a legendary Newport story, and one of these projects will be based in Maindee!

Homes in Maindee

02/08/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community

As part of Finding Maindee we have been working with photographer, Jo Haycock to explore the relationships that people in Maindee have with their homes. As a documentary photographer, Jo uses her past experiences gained through projects she’s undertaken with organisations such as Newport Women's Aid. This knowledge has been key for her to act sensitively towards the people she’s been photographing, and show the relationships we each have with our homes.

 

So far Jo's work has focused on a couple who came from South America to Newport via Cardiff, a lady who is about to leave her family home of nearly five decades and the story of an estate agency that has been present on Chepstow Road since the 1960s. 

 All images (c) Jo Haycock

An Outsider’s Perspective on Maindee

27/07/2016 | Street Media, Finding Maindee, Maindee Voices, Community, Learning, Opinions, Library

This is the first article written by young library volunteer Dani Slingerland. She writes in July 2016 having lived in Newport for less than a year and volunteered for only a few weeks. Dani writes as an outsider but it is clear that she is developing bonds and attachments in Maindee.

Newport Senegambian Association New Paths Project

21/07/2016 | Finding Maindee, New Paths, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community

Earlier on in 2016 The Newport SeneGambia Association (NEWSA) approached Maindee Unlimited with a New Paths project. Here we find out how the group organised drumming and music sessions at the library during June and how they produced over 30 costumes and took part in the Maindee Festival on Saturday 9^th July 2016.

 

Learning to blog on www.maindee.org

12/07/2016 | Maindee Voices, Development & Building, Community, Learning, Library

Library volunteers, staff and trustees learn how to manage the www.maindee.org website

Making a Home in Maindee

05/05/2016 | Finding Maindee, Arts, Maindee Voices, Community

Jo Haycock, documentary photographer will be finding out how people make their homes in Maindee. She will be exploring some questions around personal, social and geographical choices they made to live in the area.

Maindee Faces: Hugh Clark

12/04/2016 | Maindee Voices, Community

There was great sadness in Maindee when people heard of the death of Hugh Clark, one of the area’s greatest characters.