2 years and counting...A note of Gratitude from Barkingside Art Club

Source: Barkingside Art Club

Arts places creativity and imagination at the heart of a society for change-that is how Barkingside Arts Club, BAC is designed to bring everyone closer together as a whole community. We aim to provide a platform and inclusive space for every local creative, artists and art lovers to meet regularly in a middle space that would enable learning, sharing of ideas, new experiences, new conversations and taking risks and create in a safe environment. Both adult and children can expand their skills and knowledge of art through its specially designed workshops and creative events.

11.05.2019, BAC commemorated its 2^nd year anniversary, a milestone for the founder, Eliyah Qureishi.

“Raising a child with autism is not easy but raising a child with autism in an ignorant community is worst.” said Eliyah.

Portrait by Eliyah Qureshi, founder of Barkingside Art Club

Eliyah’s  life journey-her personal experiences and difficulties as a mother who raises a child with autism is the fundamental reason behind Barkingside Art Club’s formation. She feels there is an urgent need to address the lack of awareness and inclusive clubs within the community. This dream enhanced by her own personal health struggle-battling with cancer and her desire to see an open-minded community towards visual art education and its impact on wider community of all ages, gender, abilities and society’s overall development. Her constant effort to make changes  and able to set up a platform which gives a pathway to families like Eliyah’s created the notion of an art club- social set up for local people to be identified as an art hub with free flow of art workshops and activities that they can take part regardless of abilities. This unwavering enthusiasm has made her resilient towards all the challenges and paved the way for her to be an active and engaged member of Redbridge community for many years. She made a choice to create the space where everyone is welcomed at Barkingside Art Club.

“The club's aim is to bring local creative, artists and businesses together to collaborate with one another and to educate them on the subject of Special Educational Need (SEN). Local creative will also be given the opportunity to volunteer in helping children with SEN learn through creative activities or the skills they have to offer.” affirms, the mother of 2 lovely daughters.

Eliyah’s background as a practicing artist and designer added an advantage to what she believes in and wants to deliver. She stands firm in promoting inclusivity and diversity within the local community by running regular art workshops open to everyone, regardless of background or ability. Her dream is to see Barkingside Art Club create greater community cohesion, with special awareness of neurodiversity and inclusivity. She aims to involve those who may have difficult backgrounds or other issues in creative activities to offer them both, a retreat through art and an opportunity to gain experience which can potentially expand future prospects.

Source: Barkingside Art Club

BAC ever since has been regularly organizing art exhibitions for local artists which provide exposure and opportunity to sell their work, creative meet-ups which allow artists to network and establish connections within their community. This jclub regularly invite artists to participate or collaborate in national and international events such as Big Draw and Lumiere. All of our events have provided many local creatives with opportunities of work experience, and volunteering, which have sometimes developed into paid positions.

To-date, one of Barkingside Art Club’s major achievements is to offer free art workshop sessions to children with SEN who attend mainstream schools. BAC have been actively welcoming those with complex social and emotional needs, and the local school communities have been benefiting enormously. Through this unwavering effort, we are determined that everyone got to know everyone. Everyone recognized everyone’s differences. By educating all about being a whole self despite any differences, it was possible for anyone to be himself and be accepted. Through careful support and reasonable adjustments, we are able to ensure that opportunity is  given to all to fulfil them and become the best that they can be. These sessions have proven greatly beneficial not only to the children but to the Fullwell Cross Library staffs, as the children learn how to find and borrow library books as part of the workshop.

Source: Barkingside Art Club

Redbridge Culture Team is one of BAC's strong partners. We have been working together and are delivering art workshops during events such as Fabula Festival or Paint Jam, which aim to integrate the local community in inclusive creative activities. One of our new fantastic collaboration events that are coming up for this summer is Ken Aston Square’s Outdoor Art Space programme which will begin on the 8^th of June 2018. It will have pop-up art market and exhibitions that actively involves all who visits. So, all Redbridge residents and visitors be ready for the cool summer family adventure. Everyone will definitely have an exhilarating artistic experience on the day. 

Whether it is rain or shine, cold or warm,  we cherish every season of the year, including winter that is magical. Since 2016, the founder has been organizing an annual ‘Baubles for Inclusion’ event, where children with SEN are invited to make decorations for the Christmas tree on Ken Ashton Square. This event has been entirely self-funded until 2018, when she received support from the Redbridge Council.

Eliyah’s passion and vision has proved it’s more than just workshops and events that materialized the core value of BAC and its future missions. BAC has deep contemplation that is filled with a purpose to reach millennial, enhance influences, networking and acceptance. The journey of 2 years has made a landmark in the worthiness of arts to the society and still progressing to instil arts’ intrinsic value to our wider community. The works of art workshop and special events have shown how arts can illuminate the inner and outer lives of a society and enrich emotional world and well-being within the framework of arts and culture.  

For these 2 years, BAC has striven and still striving to blend the simple concept of arts as a powerful and unexplored landscape of empowerment, therapy and personal enlightenment within various community and professionals despite many challenges. Eliyah is glad to have strengthened the visibility and value of arts within this society and still striving and will continue to portray the role of every person with inclusion within art practices. Certainly, today, she has more reasons to celebrate the 2 strong years full of turbulences and success stories with her team and participants from of all walks of life, from young to old and with inclusion of every person within Redbridge's greater community.

Source: Barkingside Art Club

From the founder’s heart and the team’s desk, we extends our heartiest thank you note to you and everyone for making the one imagination possible for change. We look forward to bring more challenging projects and collaboration to the diverse community of Redbridge.     
          
For more information, please visit www.barkingsideartclub.com.