Children at a Maryport infants school are working with an award-winning Cumbrian artist to learn about the maritime heritage of their town.
The children at Netherton School are exploring the trades and traditions with artist Celia Burbush.
The activity is part of a project run by the Cockermouth-based charity Kirkgate Arts and Heritage with funding from Arts Council England and Allerdale Council.
The project involves people of all ages in Maryport and Cockermouth being inspired by their local heritage and culture while developing their own creative skills.
Maryport Settlement, High Street, is also holding adult workshops and family days across the autumn to give the public a chance to get involved. The aim is also to support the wellbeing of individuals and the resilience of the local communities.
Weekly Wednesday evening art sessions for adults are being held. There will be an art-filled family day inspired by life at sea, involving a surprise Hallowe’en activity based on a true spooky fisherman’s tale.
"The Netherton children are looking at all the trades that went into ship-building in Maryport, including joiners, brass and iron foundries and sail makers," said Celia.
"Then we are going to do a range of art activities - we can design and make our own boats using different techniques, and use metallic paints and found materials to evoke the various materials used in a boat.
"We’re looking at navigation, star-gazing and mapmaking, and we can make maps and maybe host a treasure hunt for the rest of the school!
"We’re using creativity to research local culture, connecting manufacturing with creativity, the natural world, and artistic achievement."
The adult sessions are all about trying out art techniques, learning new skills, developing self-expression, meeting and sharing ideas with new people, said Celia.
"It's about looking into the local environment and heritage, including arts and architecture, for inspiration and research starting points."
Emma Heys, general manager at Kirkgate, said: "The activities are giving us a lot of insight into what local people value about what’s broadly called ‘culture’. It’s not just the National Theatre and Covent Garden Opera House.
"People at the grass roots have many creative and artistic skills and there a rich cultural heritage in West Cumbria."
For more information about how you can get involved go to https://kirkgateartsandheritage.org.uk/whats-on/ and use the Join In filter.
Poetry trail created: https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/22563000.cockermouth-community-creates-poetry-lake-walkers-enjoy/
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