We are delighted to announce that Valleys Kids has been selected by the Genesis Foundation to be part of The Genesis Kickstart Fund, a new initiative to mark the 20^th anniversary of the Foundation, designed to enable outstanding freelance artists to stay on their career paths and explore new possibilities in a world radically altered by Covid-19.

The Front Room is a pop-up art installation inspired by a sense of what ‘home’ means; a community catalyst for recalling forgotten memories, sharing stories and making connections.

This concept was piloted at Valleys Kids’ Tate Exchange residency in 2019.

We recreated a 1950’s front room from a typical Welsh miners Terrace in the Rhondda, made from cardboard, complete with replacement and upcycled furniture. 

The design of the room evokes childhood memories, inviting people to come inside, share their stories, and create their own piece of art. It offers an escape from everyday pressures, just for a few moments, take time to talk and remember or just contemplate what ‘home’ means.

It drew people from all backgrounds and races with diverse faiths and beliefs. Each person could still relate to that familiar family room, it brought back special memories and encouraged rich conversation. People told their stories and shared long forgotten memories. 

Valleys Kids Artist in Residence, Anne Culverhouse-Evans, has collaborated with three freelance artists to build on the Tate Exchange project and create ‘The Front Room’, a pop up art installation. 

This inviting space provides an interactive place for visitors to engage in conversations, share memories and stories, inspired by reference points in the room. Members of the community were shown simple creative art techniques such as felting or silk screen painting and these were used to decorate elements of the front room, creating a piece of community inspired art within the installation. 

Drawing on the freelance artists’ skillsets, there is huge potential for artistic innovation within this framework.  For example visitors could be encouraged to become part of a digital storytelling project or the subjects of a photography project.

Launching on November 24th at 6pm in our Art in the Attic Gallery, The Factory, Porth, The Front Room will be on display and accessible for all visitors before going on tour to community spaces across Wales & England working in collaboration with local arts organisations.

For more information on The Front Room, please email anneculverhousevans@valleyskids.biz

This is a Genesis Kickstart Fund project, supported by the Genesis Foundation.