People, Places, Things
Working in partnership with the Geraldine Connor Foundation and Wakefield College the People, Places, Things project invited ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners to The Hepworth Wakefield to creatively respond to our 2019 exhibition Magdalene Odundo: The Journey of Things.
The Wakefield College learners visited the gallery, many for the first time, to work with Khadijah Ibrahiim and Rheima Robinson, spoken word artists who are supported by the Geraldine Connor Foundation.
Learners were encouraged to take time to freely explore the exhibition and note down their personal and emotional responses to the objects that they encountered from around the globe . These words and drawings became the starting point for poems that personified a favourite object, bringing it to life through their interpretation.
The group was invited back to work in more depth with Khadijah and Rheima to develop their reading and writing skills by creating new and extended poems. They also developed their English-speaking skills by performing and recording their poems. The recordings were then shared in the Odundo exhibition, as part of Wakefield’s Art Walk, celebrating alternative voices and offering visitors new ways of seeing the objects.
In 2020, The Hepworth Wakefield agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Geraldine Connor Foundation to formalise the ongoing programme of joint working and mentoring of young Black artists in the Leeds City Region.
‘I am happy because I improve my English and I am learning more. I am happy with working together, I have more confidence now, because I am speaking with people and when I finish my work, I am very, very happy. Also, when I saw my video on TV, I am very happy, because I see I am doing better.’ People, Places, Things participant
