Success Stories
During Arc’s 25 years we have programmed some incredible projects, impacting the lives of thousands of people creatively, culturally and supported many career arts freelancers.
Stockport Arts & Health Week (2021-present)
What started as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown with the ‘Stockport Together Again’ exhibition in 2021, grew into an annual programme of events, focussed around a core ‘Arts and Health Week’ each October.
From ceramics to drama, from music to photography, Arts and Health Week has offered opportunities for local residents to experience creative activity to improve and maintain mental health, nurtured the sector through training, networking, professional development and commissioning, and raised the profile and reputation of Stockport as a leader and innovator in field of Creative Health. Some events have been held at our partner organisations, and many at the Hat Works, increasing footfall to the benefit of Arc and the Hat Museum.
On average each Arts and Health Week has engaged 300 people in a programme of 20 events, and been delivered with 20 partner organisations.
Micro-Commissions (2022-24)
With the help of local government grants, we have been able to offer small ‘micro commissions’ to local artists, to deliver hugely impactful creative projects, on a health theme, immersing a diverse range of people in the expression of challenges that impact them.
The artists were selected from dozens of applicants each year and were often emerging in their project or facilitation practice, so benefitted from Arc’s guidance, support and mentoring.
From exploring the impact of menopausal anxiety on people’s daily lives to embroidery escapism
From dancing for adults to tactile and playful creativity at Wellspring homeless support centre.
From photography of those aged over 100 to collages with refugees
From expressing lived experience of Multiple Sclerosis through clay to voicing feelings on infertility
From thread journalling with cancer patients to creative writing with the LGBTQ+ community
In 2024, the Making Art Happen exhibition featured the work from the 2023 cohort’s projects, showcasing the collective impact on participants and giving an insight into how the projects catalysed the artists’ development.
Stockport Together Again (2021)
As pandemic restrictions finally started lifting, Stockport MBC commissioned Arc to invite the people of the town to share their experiences and celebrate their creativity in a momentous exhibition at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, plus Stockport’s very first ‘Arts and Health Week’ and a series of arts and health Micro Commissions.
Over 2000 people attended the landmark exhibition. See these videos for just a snippet of how the exhibition impacted arts and health in Stockport.
We Are Dreamers (2018 - 2019)
An inclusive art project and installation of artwork by hundreds of Stockport residents, We Ar Dreamers commissioned by Stockport MBC to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I.
To see the evaluation report, see here.
A Love Letter to Oldham (2018 – 2022)
A partnership project with Gallery Oldham, A Love Letter to Oldham was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund to celebrate the myriad of reasons that make Oldham special to residents and visitors. 667 people took part, writing more than 400 love letters.
A Love Letter to Macc (2016 – 2021)
The original Love Letter project, A Love Letter to Macc was devised as part of the 2016 Macclesfield Barnaby Festival, in which residents and visitors were asked to write a love letter to the heart of the town. This project now has a long-lasting legacy in the town, as can be seen in this film.
Keeping Us Together (2020 – 2022)
Many of our service users were devastated when Arc had to close due to the first Covid lockdown, but within two weeks we launched ‘Keeping Us Together’, our online creative programme designed to keep people connected, both creatively and socially.
And, although most restrictions have now been lifted, the mailing list continues to connect people to this day.
The Curiosity Project (2017 – 2018)
In collaboration with The University of Manchester, participants explored the concept of curiosity through the creation of artworks inspired by myths, beliefs, arts and history from the medieval period.
The Other in Mother (2018 - 2019)
A powerful visual art project and touring exhibition that explored and presented the psychological transition women experience during motherhood, led by artist Sarah Harrison-Greaves.