What is Percent for Art?

Our Percent for Art team comprises two officers who are based in our Community Engagement Team and work across all areas of Bolton.  Our arts officers work with residents, community groups, partners and other community stakeholders to develop socially engaged arts projects that help to improve our communities and benefit customers.

We commission appropriate artists or arts organisations, to work with the local community, and we manage the project from start to finish.

The Percent for Art service actively encourages individuals and community groups to get involved in schemes that can offer creative solutions to neighbourhood issues.

Ideas for arts projects can come from our neighbourhood teams and they will focus on specific neighbourhood priorities or be developed through conversations with community groups, partner organisations or other community stakeholders.  Sometimes local arts projects are developed through wider Greater Manchester, regional or national networks or funding.

Our service also offers advice and guidance to our partners with regard to developing arts projects involving other social housing customers across Bolton.  We have also been commissioned by partners to project manage a number of community arts and public / environmental art projects in Bolton.

Projects can be in any medium including visual arts, performance, music, crafts, digital art and film. They can take the form of arts based consultation, skills and confidence building projects, arts in health & wellbeing work, festivals and celebratory arts, as well as streetscaping and environmental arts projects designed to enhance the physical environment.

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2016 1000 Homes

2016 1000 Homes

Hannah Hull was commissioned by Bolton at Home and supported by Arts Council England to undertake a long term residency on the Johnson Fold estate, focused on locating and articulating the creative and cultural values already present in the community.

The artistic outcomes of this residency included:

Every Sha-la-la-la - A short film about karaoke culture on the estate. The film features regular karaoke singers at The Colliers Arms and relates the significance of karaoke as told through the voices of community.

Scooterboys - A short film about a local scooter club, The Bolton Roadrunners, originally formed in June 1970

Tattoo Tea Towel and Booklet - A tea towel featuring tattoo artwork commissioned by residents of the estate, and a booklet of interviews exploring the meaning behind them.

Art on the Johnson Fold estate, Bolton - Residents were asked to select their favourite artwork that they own. This resulted in a series of revealing and candid creative discussions, documented alongside the artworks in booklet format in the style of a gallery or exhibition guide. The artworks chosen ranged from famous paintings to Facebook memes, religious iconography to commissioned paintings.

Johnson Fold Soundscape - A collaboration with sound artist James Mather, a resident of the estate. Local residents could listen to the piece via QR codes installed around the estate, or via a limited edition of CDs disseminated via community events.

Guitar Lessons for the local Priest - The local priest at the Catholic Church teaches guitar to young members of his parish. The artist gave him lessons to improve his skills, so he could share this with his learners.

Ray's Stories - Ray is the oldest member of the local Catholic church, and despite his declining health, his memories of the local area remain sharp and bright. At the request of the congregation, the artist documented Ray's eclectic, moving and beautifully-told stories.

To view the films and for more information, see https://www.hannahhull.co.uk/#/one-thousand-homes/