Six Greater Manchester-based artists selected for ‘Making of Us’ at The Turnpike

The Turnpike in Leigh is launching Making of Us, a development programme for artists to engage and collaborate with organisations in Wigan, Stockport and Salford. The project is made possible with funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. 
 
Making of Us brings together the expertise of partners across the arts, social care and education sectors. Artists will work with young people from the ages of 13 to 25 years facing adversity, to initiate mutual learning opportunities and new ways of collaborating. 
 
The programme will support 15 artists with professional development opportunities, including training, mentoring and peer-to-peer learning, working with The Together Trust across Greater Manchester, Wigan Targeted Youth Services and True Colours CIC in Leigh. 
 
The first six Greater Manchester-based artists who have recently been awarded a bursary and will be joining us on the Making of Us programme are Abigail Betton, Chris Alton, Josephine Hepplewhite, Marge Bradshaw, Rachel Mason and Sarah Atter. A second cohort of nine artists will be recruited in the summer of 2021. 
 
Making of Us provides a supportive opportunity for artists to develop practices that respond to current challenges such as COVID-19. Through the programme, the artists will work together to find creative solutions which prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. 
 
Helen Stalker, Director of The Turnpike says, “Making of Us is an extraordinary opportunity to develop new and innovative ways to broaden our reach and impact in Greater Manchester. The Turnpike operates in the spirit of reciprocity, partnership and exchange. We are delighted to bring together this first cohort of six socially engaged artists, and very much look forward to sharing outcomes and exchanging knowledge with them and our project partners over the next 18 months.” 
 
The project will engage 60-70 young people who live with mental health issues, neurodiversity, have cared experience, and physical illness or impairment. Working with the partner organisations, the young people and the artists will form the basis of live collaborative projects.  
 
Rebecca Finley, Project Co-ordinator at The Together Trust, says,

“We are excited to be partnering with the Turnpike on the Making of Us. Putting the people we support at the heart of everything we do is central to our work and this collaborative project exemplifies this. Our young people love to be challenged and encouraged to excel and we can’t wait to contribute to a new wave of practitioners who will be able to inspire and pioneer within creative settings.”