Previous Projects for History in the Making
Read about all of the projects that are currently ongoing or have been completed.
Life of the Wall started with a young people’s group paying regular visits to an allotment near Hadrian’s Wall. They were fascinated to find out more about this ancient structure on their doorstep. History in the Making funded them to work with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums to explore Roman history and devise a way of sharing it with their local community.
Inspired by what they found out; they decided their place marker should take the form of a pizza oven. It now sits on their allotment where it brings both local history (and pizza) to the community.
The young people have gained a lot from this project, not only from the skills and the confidence but their feelings of self-worth. They are all very proud to have contributed some lasting pieces of artwork with real historical meaning, to the town.
Autism Able stands on the original site of Westoe Colliery. History in the Making funded them to work with a group of neurodivergent young people to investigate the rich history of the area. They worked with local musicians to create music inspired by the stories that they had heard. These soundscapes were mixed with spoken word and music from the local colliery band to create an audio tour of Westoe.
This tour can be accessed via plaques in the area or on cassettes decorated with the young peoples’ heritage-inspired artwork.
More previous projects
Byron and on and on, Horden
Young people at Creative Youth Opportunities in Seaham had noticed the seemingly endless commemorations of their town’s links to Lord Byron. They felt he had relatively little to do with the town, so they set out to commemorate unsung local heroes instead. Their research led to the creation of beautiful timber plaques commemorating important local women, alongside new panels in the town hall celebrating other unsung Seaham heroes.
When You Were Me, Newcastle
During the pandemic, research by national charity Just Like Us found that ‘LGBTQIA+ young people in the Northeast are the loneliest in England’. This project brought together members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Newcastle, to increase the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community in Newcastle using a variety of artforms.
The city currently has no specifically queer spaces beyond the Pink Triangle, which is an exclusively adult space for only some of Newcastle’s LGBTQIA+ community. 'When You Were Me' brought young people together to create a new, inclusive pace for cultural togetherness.
Heritage and Art Project, Blackpool
Led by a collective of youth organisations in Blackpool, this project asked young people what mattered to them about the architecture and character of Blackpool. To celebrate their findings they’re creating a street art mural. This will embrace the role of street art in the city and develop the skills of young people in the community.
Young people are also recording the project, the making of the art and their personal journeys through a variety of methods, including photography, video, art and spoken word.
Big History, Bright Future, Rotherham
Young people in Rotherham wanted to challenge the often-negative perceptions of their hometown, celebrate the diversity of cultures in the borough, and build connections between communities. History in the Making funded Imagine Rotherham to work with young people to research local history and co-create a mural that speaks to young communities living in the area.
A young apprentice was hired to support the work. The mural features the words of the young people involved and celebrates the Slovak and Roma communities who live in the area.
Redcar Peeps, Redcar
Redcar has a seemingly empty LGBTQIA+ archive, so Tees Valley Arts worked with young people to question this narrative and explore how queerness has always existed, especially within working-class coastal communities.
After exploring these local histories, young people created pier-style ‘peep boards’, interactive place markers that brought these stories to a wider audience.
Women’s Histories in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Artists Emma Hardaker and Emily Ryalls are working with a group of young Wakefield women to uncover the overlooked history of the town’s women. This has led them to uncover exciting local history around protest, suffrage and a renowned proponent of Suffrajitsu.
The group are developing skills in construction, craft and photography before creating a trail around Wakefield inspired by local architecture and the stories they’ve uncovered.
Untold Stories, Sunderland
This project has been built entirely in collaboration with young people. Members of Sunderland’s Youth Council are unearthing untold stories local stories, undertaking interviews and creating new narratives to create a more diverse picture of the city. These will be available via an audio trail.
The Unseen Firefighters, Hull
The Warren Youth Project has been providing vital support services to young people in Hull for over 40 years from a Grade II listed former fire station. Using local resources such as the Hull Local History Centre and tapping into the knowledge of the community, this project is constructing a comprehensive creative record of the building's historical significance.
The findings have fed into a new plaque that will be locally cast and mounted on the front of the building.
Oldham’s 21st Century Origins, Oldham
Young people in Oldham are exploring the teenage experience throughout the decades of people living in Oldham, with a specific focus on White British and South Asian Communities. They’re discovering what ‘heritage’ means to individuals from different generations and capturing the impact of cultural changes on the social make-up of these towns.
Young people will curate and exhibit a digital and in-person exhibition at the end of the project showcasing their findings.
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