The Good Shepherd and Local Families with Tess Radcliffe
Tess Radcliffe worked with The Good Shepherd and local families , including families who participate in NAC ’ s holiday activities , Whitmore Reans library users and those who use The Good Shepherd ’ s services . Tess is a digital artist based in Walsall , working with film , moving image , audio , and photography . This was originally two separate projects – NAC families and Good Shepherd – but as she was also engaging with local families at Good Shepherd , and the Community Engagement Officer left NAC part-way through the project , the two strands of work were combined and represented together within the final exhibition . Tess worked closely with Chris Manley who has a studio at NAC and facilitates regular art club sessions for Good Shepherd clients . Through photography and film , shared conversations at mealtimes in the Good Shepherd dining hall , during art club sessions , and in early years and family workshops , participants discussed their ideas , hopes , and concerns about their lives within the context of the project , with great generosity , warmth , and enthusiasm .
Together they created :
• A film that was shown on the screen within the exhibition ;
• A banner that was made by families at Good Shepherd and was supported through Engage ’ s ‘ Let ’ s Create Art ’ Creative Bursaries ;
• Photographs displayed at the exhibition and Whitmore Reans library created by participants and by Tess Radcliffe ; People Tess worked with expressed a wide range of interests for activity that could take place at NAC and / or Good Shepherd including :
• Specialist tutoring in the fine arts as well as craft ;
• Family craft activities , with a focus on supporting child development ;
• Education and learning in general ( many already attended classes at college in maths , English , ICT , and crafts );
• Training to do coaching , teaching , mentoring , and training delivery , which would help people to find enjoyable and meaningful work , and enable clients to tell their stories to help others who found themselves in the same , challenging situation as them ;
• Practical skills to help people progress and potentially gain employment ;
• Activities which provide mental space for relaxation for adult clients including : - Guided meditation - Access to the outdoors and nature through fishing , organised walks , gardening and sports - Games room - Roast dinners - Services which support selfpresentation such as cut-price hairdressing , grooming and chiropody .
Image by family photo walk participant
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