Take Part Queen’s Park

How can we build our connection to the place in which we live? What brings a community together?

Take Part Queen’s Park was an art project inspired by and created by the community of Queen’s Park.

Take Part Queen’s Park was an art project both inspired by and created with the community of Queen’s Park in Bedford, alongside artists. Through engaging residents of all ages with the creative arts and exploring Queen’s Park’s cultural diversity, the project aimed to combat isolation and strengthen residents’ sense of place and community.

Residents and community groups worked with artist Caroline Wendling who gathered stories and experiences of Queen’s Park. This then led to the creation of  an exhibition in the Higgins Bedford. The Exhibition celebrated the vibrancy of Queen’s Park using film, embroidery, and clay. Click here to watch the film and find out more about the exhibition.

Queen’s Park residents also worked with Artists Andy Holden and Mira Calix through a series of workshops to design and create a mural. The mural explores themes of communication, community, and unity, which came out of experiences during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Celebration and Mural

Queen’s Park Community Centre is used by a variety of community groups in the area and the side room was in need of a full refresh – and what better way to do it than through a series of artist-led workshops with local residents, followed by a Celebration Evening of food, performances and great company!


Archipelago

Residents and community groups worked with artist Caroline Wendling who gathered stories and experiences of Queen’s Park. This culminated to the creation of Archipelago – an exhibition in The Higgins Bedford. Archipelago celebrated the vibrancy of Queen’s Park using film, embroidery and clay.


Community Mural

Queen’s Park Residents worked with Artists Andy Holden and Mira Calix to create a community mural. The mural explores themes of communication, community and unity. These themes were inspired by residents’ experience of Covid-19.


Made In Queen’s Park: Community Cafe

During October half term 2023 we worked with organisations across Queen’s Park to set up a community cafe. The community cafe was a space where people could come together, socialise, eat, create and share stories. This social hub saw over 500 people joining us over 5 days.


Make & Share

Make & Share is a series of tutorials that teach you how to cook, paint, embroider, create typography or print with natural materials. Each tutorial is designed to take 30 minutes. We hope that these videos will give you an opportunity to explore creative practices from the comfort of your own home.


Lockdown Art Packs

During Lockdowns, when we weren’t able to engage people in the community with the wider Take Part project, we worked with schools in Queen’s Park to provide free art packs to children at home who might not otherwise have access to even basic art materials. 


Take Part Queen’s Park is a partnership project with The Higgins Bedford and is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Harpur Trust and bpha.

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