We are thrilled to be receive funding from National Lottery Community Fund to deliver an exciting project; Communities of Wonder.

The aim of Communities of Wonder is to work with groups of children & young people in St Helens on exciting and wonderful creative projects.

We use a range of arts activities as a medium to explore themes relevant to and identified by young people including: Mental Health and Wellbeing (post Covid); the Environment; and Diversity, with the aim of reducing anti-social behaviour, increasing confidence and wellbeing and improving mental health and life choices and aspirations

We believe that magical artistic experiences have the power to change people’s lives and we’re bringing artistic experiences to children, young people and families in St Helens, to create profound and positive life changing impacts.

To find out how your community group can get involved with Communities of Wonder, please contact our Youth Projects & Engagement Worker, Emma at emma@wonderarts.co.uk

Check out all of the wonderful projects to date below

Be Your Own Cup of Tea

by Over the Rainbow

Over the Rainbow is group based in St Helens for young people who identify as LGBTQIA+

For this project the group have worked with wonderful Artist, Michelle Wren to create artwork to be displayed at St Helens Pride.

With Michelle the group discussed the origins and the importance of pride and decided they wanted to create a piece of art that would raise awareness of issues important to them such as Trans Awareness and identity. They wanted the work to showcase their group to the wider community and showcase it as a place that is safe, accepting, supportive, a mini family and a place you can come out of your shell.

Throughout the project the group have designed and created a fabulous structure; Be Your Own Cup of Tea - a celebration of the power of being yourself.

The deconstructed rainbow features designs which highlight topics important to the group and emerges from a multi-coloured chess board that represents the constant game of chess that their community are playing with society.

Our Wonderful Differences

by St Cuthberts

This group of young people have been working with the wonderful UC Crew.

Throughout the workshops the group have been exploring a wide variety of graffiti art skills including stencil making, freehand spray painting, lettering, and the development of detailed drawing techniques.

All of these techniques have been combined to create a large mural to be displayed in the school. The mural depicts 4 sections, each with a different theme linked to topics important to them: mental health particularly autism awareness, racism poverty & the cost of living crisis, exploration & innovation and finally rights for those in the LQBTGIA+ community.

Window of Change

By Buzz Hub - St Helens Coalition of Disabled People

The young people worked with the wonderful Artist Emmer Winder to explore the dearth of green spaces in our town centre, how technology has developed and how Artificial Intelligence has shaped the way we use our town centre. They took time to document and notice how our town looks and could look. 

The group began by creating bricks which represent the harshness of manmade structures. They began the process of reclaiming this space visually by inserting the names of key figures from St Helens into the bricks, which were then turned into a beautiful planter holding the tree of hope. They also created screen printed protest boards about reclaiming the urban landscape and returning to nature. They embellished photographs of the town with floral vibrance. Illustrations of some of the key figures were drawn. Poetry was written and performed to go alongside these visual creative statements. 

The group shared their eclectic work through an exhibition of artwork in an empty shop – inspiring them to create the project name. The exhibition included an interactive growth garden, charity badges for sale with all donations going to charity and ‘Acts of kindness’ -  glass-inspired bugs that were delicately created and hidden around the town centre for visitors to find and add to the growth garden. 

 These pieces show deep thinking that took place whilst the art work was being created.