Shepshed Library Young People’s Projects
Shepshed Library Young Peoples’ Projects
Shepshed library was one of the four libraries chosen for the first year of Creative Expressions in Libraries.
Two exciting projects have taken place during the last year, with a focus on engaging young people in cultural activity.
Shepshed Library Street Art Project
Our project began with a number of Street Art workshops with local teenagers, in partnership with Graffwerk and Passion Youth Group.
Our young participants enjoyed using Posca pens to create their own ‘tag’, took part in a quiz on the differences between street art and graffiti and worked their way through a Graffwerk consultation booklet, giving their preferences on colours, patterns, and styles of the art form.
After much anticipation, we are so excited to finally see the finished ‘We Are Shepshed’ design up on the wall of the teen area of the library! The participants’ drawings, which include Shepshed landmarks and favourite books and artists, look even better than we’d imagined! We hope our teens are proud of their contribution and know library users will enjoy this fantastic artwork for many years to come.
Community Street Art Day
In partnership with Graffwerk we held a Community Street Art Day for members of the local community and enjoyed two fully booked workshops. Participants created designs which included lots of sheep! (For those who don’t know, the town was originally known as ‘Sheepshead’, a name derived from the town being involved in the wool industry).
The sessions ended with the participants trying their hand at spray-painting on pallet-wrapped railings outside – this went down especially well with the children who now think of themselves as fully fledged street artists!
We are so excited to now reveal the final design which has been brought to life by Graffwerk and which can be seen by everyone in the town, in pride of place on the exterior of the library. How many sheep can you spot 😉?
Shepshed Library #BookTok Project
Six participants from Years 9 and 10 at Iveshead School took part in our #Booktok Project, brainstorming ideas for their own #Booktoks and hearing some inspirational tips from Shay of the Underground Creatives. They were also able to try their hand with the tech, including a gimbal, tripod, and gorilla stand.
Filming of their #Booktoks took place in the library, with the participants bringing in some interesting props from home (including a horse head mask!)
Our final couple of workshops saw the group co-producing and co-directing a promotional film highlighting why this new medium is a great way to connect with younger audiences. We are very proud to be able to showcase it here, along with the #Booktoks that the group produced themselves. We hope you enjoy them!