CRESC and the Whitworth Art Gallery have joined forces to develop a programme of activities for Manchester schools in support of our 2012 annual conference, ‘Promises: Crisis and Socio-Cultural Change.’

‘Primary Promises’ involves 10 schools from the city in a summer of artistic activity, visits and workshops, which will culminate in an exhibition at ‘Promises’ in September.

The first event was held at the Whitworth on 2^nd May, and involved teachers from local primary schools, the gallery’s artistic co-ordinators and CRESC staff working together to develop an activity pack for KS2 children on the theme of ‘A Vision of Future Manchester’. 

The pack is inspired by two of the Whitworth’s current exhibitions. Firstly, Victor Pasmore: Transformations, is a series of abstract images by the influential British painter and architect that include the lush, impressionistic  topography suggested  by Il Labrinto della Psiche (1986) (above), and, secondly, Building on Things: Images of Ruin and Renewal which includes images such as ‘Tower of Babel’ by Anne Desmet, and work by Cyprian Gaillard and Giovanni Piranesi.

Over the weeks to come, children will be involved in devising maps and plans of the city of tomorrow, exploring the idea of urban promises and be invited to design their own ‘Promises Cube’ - a six-sided vision of Manchester’s future.   The maps and finished cubes will be used to create a collaborative installation that represents the voices, visions – and promises - from children of the participating schools.

For more details contact: Mark Banks m.o.banks@open.ac.uk