Encounters’ Shop in Dewsbury

Artists' Mentoring Programme

Encounters mentored five Dewsbury artists - who had been working as shop hosts - to create their own participatory intervention to engage people in and around the Encounters Shop. This process offered significant professional development to the artists and greatly enhanced Encounters' pro-active engagement activities out in the town centre.

1. An invitation to sit on chairs left in different places round town and answer questions written on a tag attached to the chair about your view:



2. An invitation to join a one-to-one guided walk around the town centre to take photos of different views and record your feelings at each stopping point:

 

3. An invitation to reflect on the qualities needed to work across difference by returning balloons dotted around town, and adding to an evolving sculpture:



4. An invitation to add to a sensory story of Dewsbury told through a collection of objects:



5. An invitation to join an artist sketching in a pad in the town centre, to doodle or draw your own sketch.