PROJECT PROFILE
Drawn from history Lorna Batty, Interpretation Manager for Shout Out Loud, shares the results of a special project between young volunteers and emerging artists.
B
ack in November 2020 Shout Out Loud, English Heritage’s youth engagement team, began a new project called ‘Drawn from History’. Usually the team work with young people outside of the organisation, engaging them with history and heritage in fun and meaningful ways, but the aim of this project was to highlight the brilliant work of the young people within English Heritage: raising their voices and celebrating their experiences through the commissioning of some exciting new illustrations.
Volunteer call out We began by putting a call out for volunteers aged 18-25 to share their favourite stories connected to our sites and their experiences of volunteering. Ten volunteers came forward from sites all across the country, from Bolsover and Beeston to Kenwood and Wrest Park. Meanwhile a select panel from the Shout Out Loud Young Producers, our in-house steering group of young people, worked together to select four talented young artists to turn these stories into artworks.
I absolutely love it and think it captures everything perfectly. I can’t wait to show everyone! Scott Ray, Battle Abbey
Working together Over the course of several weeks, each volunteer met with an artist to brief them on what they would like to see in their illustration. For some it was about sharing the joy of volunteering and the skills they have learnt; for others, the focus was on highlighting lesser-told stories, a key part of Shout Out Loud’s mission. Each volunteer then worked with their artist over a number of weeks to shape the final image. New illustrations The results are fantastic – ten bright and bold illustrations that brilliantly capture the spirit of volunteering at English Heritage sites, plus our many and varied stories. Each participant has now received a framed print as a memento of their time on the project and the team would like to give a huge thank you to all the volunteers. Look out for the illustrations in recruitment campaigns later this year as we use them to encourage more young people to get into volunteering. As volunteer Sam Adams says, ‘I really enjoy volunteering at Wrest Park because it is like no other opportunity around. It has made me passionate about changing the stereotypes surrounding the heritage sector and English Heritage properties...heritage isn’t just for older people – it’s for everyone.’ ■ 26 english-heritage.org.uk
