The Byker Estate has welcomed its first ever artist in residence, thanks to a hobby room refurbishment project with funding from Historic England.
Occupying the newly restored, now artist studio space on St Michael’s Mount on the estate, local artist Lucy Minta Reeves will be bringing a new, creative lease of life to the area, collaborating with the local community on projects that help tell stories, experiences and celebrate heritage of the Byker area.
Lucy, an established set and costume designer who has supported local organisation such as Northern Stage, and Byker’s very own on the square summer activities in the past, said: “I applied for the residency as it offers the opportunity to become genuinely embedded within the community I would be working alongside.
“I believe that the most meaningful community projects come from spending time in a place, getting to know its people, and building relationships based on trust and shared experiences. Byker has a strong identity and a real sense of community pride, and I am very excited to work with local residents to celebrate the stories, creativity, and character that make the area unique.”
The hobby room at St Michael’s Mount has stood vacant since the late 1980’s, and, alongside another hobby room space at Spire’s Lane, to ensure support their conservation and bring the spaces back into use, Karbon Homes secured over £98,000 from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.
The hobby room at Spires Lane includes a community kitchen space, where various partners can deliver food related activities and training.
Victoria Keen, Head of Place Partnerships and Engagement at Karbon, said “the transformation of the St Michael’s Mount Hobby room is a really impactful moment for the community and we’re very pleased Lucy has accepted our offer to be the first ever artist in residence.
She has a strong presence in Newcastle through her work and we’re looking forward to seeing how she connects with the Byker Estate community to bring new experiences to our residents.”
Community voice has played an important role in the artist in residence recruitment process. From initial application Lucy went through a two-stage shortlisting process, the first stage being an interview with Karbon’s community partner Foundation Futures and its Youth Panel, followed by a panel interview with involved residents living on the estate.
The Byker Estate has welcomed its first ever artist in residence, thanks to a hobby room refurbishment project with funding from Historic England.
Occupying the newly restored, now artist studio space on St Michael’s Mount on the estate, local artist Lucy Minta Reeves will be bringing a new, creative lease of life to the area, collaborating with the local community on projects that help tell stories, experiences and celebrate heritage of the Byker area.
Lucy, an established set and costume designer who has supported local organisation such as Northern Stage, and Byker’s very own on the square summer activities in the past, said: “I applied for the residency as it offers the opportunity to become genuinely embedded within the community I would be working alongside.
“I believe that the most meaningful community projects come from spending time in a place, getting to know its people, and building relationships based on trust and shared experiences. Byker has a strong identity and a real sense of community pride, and I am very excited to work with local residents to celebrate the stories, creativity, and character that make the area unique.”
The hobby room at St Michael’s Mount has stood vacant since the late 1980’s, and, alongside another hobby room space at Spire’s Lane, to ensure support their conservation and bring the spaces back into use, Karbon Homes secured over £98,000 from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.
The hobby room at Spires Lane includes a community kitchen space, where various partners can deliver food related activities and training.
Victoria Keen, Head of Place Partnerships and Engagement at Karbon, said “the transformation of the St Michael’s Mount Hobby room is a really impactful moment for the community and we’re very pleased Lucy has accepted our offer to be the first ever artist in residence.
She has a strong presence in Newcastle through her work and we’re looking forward to seeing how she connects with the Byker Estate community to bring new experiences to our residents.”
Community voice has played an important role in the artist in residence recruitment process. From initial application Lucy went through a two-stage shortlisting process, the first stage being an interview with Karbon’s community partner Foundation Futures and its Youth Panel, followed by a panel interview with involved residents living on the estate.
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