Green Town Exhibition
Where? 23 High Street, Newcastle (near St Giles’ Church, opposite Art of Siam restaurant)
When? Thurs 7 to Sat 30 April
In this exhibition, we look at some of the big issues and how they apply to our town centre, and invite you to take action – big and small – for a better future. To inspire you, our friends at Totally Locally have chosen some projects from town centres across the UK that work with our green themes. Alongside simple activities and carefully-chosen artworks, including prints by Black Lodge Press and photographs by Melanie King alongside work by the artists we’ve commissioned across the town, the exhibition also includes a reading room of inspiring books and two new texts by Bernadette Russell, author of ‘How To Be Hopeful’ and Newcastle Common’s Lead Artist Dan Thompson.
Jon Paul Green: Text Works
Where? 23 High Street, Newcastle (near St Giles’ Church, opposite Art of Siam restaurant)
When? Thurs 7 to Sat 30 April
Jon Paul Green is a Graphic Designer and Artist based in Stoke-On-Trent.
With a multidisciplinary approach to the Green Town project Jon Paul has created works in a variety of mediums. These include a large “Call to action” gravel installation that incorporates luminescent aggregate, this material has been used as an eco-friendly option to light pathways in several communal parks in larger cities.
Eco-friendly spray paint stencilled canvases are on display here and water based temporary site-specific messages can be found in and around Newcastle-Under-Lyme subways.
The bold typographic approach and succinct messages were inspired by climate change protest placards.
Danny Callaghan: WILD | LIFE The Pat Callaghan Collection
Where? Astley Walk, Newcastle (On the corner of Lad’s Lane and opposite The Bull’s Head Pub)
When? Thurs 7 to Sat 30 April
A lifelong environmental activist & campaigner, Pat Callaghan died in 2018. She was involved in wilding the New Vic’s grounds and supporting their work exploring the environment, she created green corridors, pocket parks, and community spaces with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, City Council Green Street Service & Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent, she saved Berryhill Fields from open cast mining, and she worked as an award-winning broadcast journalist covering the countryside and environmental issues. For the first time, her archives are shared in this new installation, which lets us dive into an archive which invites us to think about ways we can organise to become activists and campaigners.
Francesca Wheeler & Chloe Rickett: Green Diagnosis Van
Where? 23 High Street, Newcastle (near St Giles’ Church, opposite Art of Siam restaurant)
When? Thurs 7 to Sat 30 April
An interactive and fun performance offering green prescriptions for health and political engagement. Be assessed by the team, and directed to positive solutions to the crisis we are collectively facing via climate awareness groups locally and nationally.
There is also a pledge tree created by Francesca and Chloe, within the High Street space, for you to write your pledge to help combat climate change and attach!
Listen to the audio description of this activity here.
No.72 Takes Over
Where? 23 High Street, Newcastle (near St Giles’ Church, opposite Art of Siam restaurant)
When? Friday 29 and Saturday 30 April
For nearly 40 years, B arts (originally based in The Barracks) have made food and the act of eating together part of the way they work as a theatre company. For this final weekend of Green Town, the team from their building at 72 Hartshill Road invite us to break bread together as they take over Newcastle Common’s Astley Walk space. Highlights of weekend of community activity based around food waste and cooking together include Betty Buffer’s Night In on Fri 29 April, when we’ll be shown how to make the most of food that might otherwise go to waste, and the Little School of Improbable Cooking on Sat 30 April when some unlikely chefs will invite families and children to work with them on some fantastical challenges as they create a magical meal together.
Be part of the takeover! Here are some of the activities we have planned:
Why has an Arts Company Opened a Bakery?
When? Friday 29 April 11am to 12pm
A short talk by B arts’ Artistic Director and Co-founder Susan Clarke followed by a Q and A session. Open to all!
Betty Cooks Rubbish
When? Friday 29 April 1pm to 2pm
A cookery demo with tastings with Betty Buffer where Betty make the most of a bag of supermarket surplus food with recipes to take home, also live on social media (captioned). Open to all!
Greening Stoke
When? Friday 29 April 3pm to 4pm
A presentation and surgery to help you get started with community growing. Led by Greening Stoke, who are based at 72. As part of the Soil Association’s Plant and Share Month.
Little School
When? Saturday 30 April 10am to 12pm
B arts famous improbable cooks come to Newcastle and tackle the climate crisis using only food and poetry.
This is a free, ticketed event. Book your tickets here
Little School Drop-in
When? 1pm to 4pm
Come and see us for creative workshops making poetry, food, zines, badges, placards making our commitment to tackle the climate crisis.
More details on all the artists and activities featured in this programme can be found here.
