Creative Award for Powerhouse Portraits Project

Back in May, the Powerhouse Portraits project was nominated for the Spirit Of Manchester awards 2024, in the category for ‘Creative Community Spirit’. The nominated group was the partnership between the three organisations which collaborated to produce and deliver the project – Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse, Segment Arts and Crossing Footprints, and in June we were notified that we’d been shortlisted.

Image of group with winning the Award for Powerhouse Portraits
Our group winning the Spirit Of Manchester 2024 award in the category for ‘Creative Community’ presented to us by Julian Skyrme Director of Social Responsibility at Manchester University and the Mayor of Manchester Councillor Paul Andrews

This was an amazing project where local people created a community portrait of Moss Side at the vibrant Powerhouse community centre, through workshops in photography, writing and magazine making. Involving 45 local people using 100 film cameras through 18 workshops. We created a vibrant photography, creative writing and art exhibition. Also produced and distributed 300 copies of a 100-page full colour professional A4 publication.

Full details of the project at https://crossingfootprints.com/moss-side-powerhouse-portraits/ .

Creative Community Spirit award for Powerhouse Portraits

Image montage: Our group sat at a table, the certificate, and the award for Powerhouse Portraits

The awards ceremony was held on 3rd October 2024 The Sheridan in Manchester, and we were thrilled to be voted the winner of the ‘Creative Community Spirit’ award. Big thanks especially to the visionary Leo Macdonald Oulds for artistically leading and directing the project, and Kooj Chuhan for the producing and management. Credits also to Lesa Dryburgh for her amazing PR work, First Cut media with Tony Reeves for documenting, Ian Johns for his photography and workshops, and Nasima Bee for the great writing workshops (via Shirley May at Young Identity). And not forgetting our special guest at the exhibition launch, local peace activist Professor Erinma Bell MBE DL JP. Well done to all who made this happen, delivered the project and participated in it to make it such a great project – full details of the awards at https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/spirit-of-manchester/spirit-manchester-awards .

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Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition Launch

Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition: Preview and Magazine Launch

A vivid reflection of people and locality through photography and text
Saturday 29 July 2-4pm

+ IAN JOHNS: retrospective showcase from 40 years photographing Moss Side

a Segment Arts project in partnership with Powerhouse and Crossing Footprints

Incl. poetry by Nasima Bee (Young Identity) and special guest local peace activist Professor Erinma Bell MBE DL JP.

Additional speakers from the Moss Side community: writer Deanne Heron, artist Ian Johns and photographer Dorothy Ennis Hand. At Powerhouse, 140 Raby St, Moss Side, Manchester M14 4SL with refreshments, snacks, speakers and musical ambience.

The Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition continues to 31st October

Photo taken during a workshop for the Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition
Photo taken during a workshop for the Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition

Local people have come together at Powerhouse to portray some of the people and places around Moss Side and nearby that are familiar to them. Three sets of workshops with different ages from 8 to 80 years ran for a period of just six weeks, all groups developing skills in photography using disposable cameras and in creative writing. The participants also developed skills in layout and design, the magazine will reflect the approaches the groups took during the project. Beginning on 22nd May the workshops took place at Powerhouse Community Centre and Library, everyone’s work will be represented in the exhibition and publication.

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