Over the past 10 weeks, Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT), in partnership with Hampshire CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), has worked with a group of young people taking part in the ICE Heritage Project to create and curate Leather Making: Crafting Personal Pieces, a new exhibition on display in Andover Museum until Sunday 5 June.
The exhibition is a collection of leathercrafts designed, created and curated by young people taking part in the ICE Heritage project which showcases the leather making skills they have learnt and honed. The project aims to develop positive progression pathways for young people who are currently known to CAMHS, waiting for therapy, receiving treatment or recently discharged. Through access to local heritage and by engaging in high-quality activity, ICE - Inspire, Create, Exchange - Heritage aims to promote positive mental health, provide longer term opportunities for young people by using creative engagement with local heritage and with artists, to build emotional resilience and bring attention to what museums can do to provide positive support for more young people establishing independent journeys to improved longer-term wellbeing.
Taking inspiration from artist Polly Perry and the leather pieces in the collections at Andover Museum, these young people have taken a contemporary approach to leather armour. They have created their own armour which explores themes of identity through a range of imagery personal to them.
Helen Dove, Innovation and Participation Lead at Hampshire CAMHS, said: “I have been absolutely blown away by the creativity of young people who have been accessing our services and who have helped contribute to this project. The link we have with the ICE Heritage project is once again proving to be a really important way for young people to showcase their talents through creativity, and it's nice for them to see their achievements on display.”
One young person commented, “I got to know new people and learnt new skills with leather - that was very fun” with another saying, “I am more confident with expressing my creative ideas”.
The project is delivered in partnership with Hampshire CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and Hampshire Cultural Trust. It is generously funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
To find out more about Leathermaking: Crafting Personal Pieces, ICE Heritage and Hampshire Cultural Trust please visit www.hampshireculture.org.uk/event/ice-heritage-exhibition-leather-makin….