As the days are finally getting longer, and we hope the really cold weather has left us for another nine months, there is definitely a sense that things are ‘on the up’.
Yes, we all know that there are still going to be restrictions in place up until the Summer at least, but many of us are now feeling that there is more than a glimmer of hope that we will at last return to some kind of normality.
With this in mind, Luma Creations is launching two new creative training programmes in April and May, A Stitch In Time and Hear My Voice, to give participants the opportunities to explore their creative ambitions, develop new skills and find a platform to tell their stories.
A Stitch In Time is a 12-week series of embroidery workshops, where you will learn how to story-tell through textiles. And now, with the latest road-map for coming out of Covid restrictions, all being well means they will be able to deliver the workshops face-to-face from our base at John Archer Hall.
Delivered by Artist and Maker, Liz Shelbourne, you will be introduced to a range of traditional and contemporary textile techniques including, embroidery, quilting, fabric manipulation and applique, as well as developing your knowledge of design. Each participant will be provided with a basic kit of materials to enable them to take part fully in the programme.
There is a long tradition of story-telling through textiles, from medieval tapestries, to the contemporary needlework art by artists such as Grayson Perry. Throughout the training programme, participants will have the opportunity to reflect upon their own identity, start new conversations about their own and shared identities, and finally, producing their own, personalised stitched sketchbook.
The training workshops will take place every Wednesday morning from 10.30 to 12.30 and will begin on 14 April 2021. For more details and how to register for the programme, please contact Maya Mitter at maya@lumacreations.org.
Hear My Voice is a creative writing training programme for all aspiring writers, whether absolute beginners, or those who want to brush up on their basic creative writing skills. Over 10 weeks, the participants will cover some of the basic elements of creative writing, through focusing on the short story.
It will be delivered by Maya Mitter and Max Alder from Luma Creations, both of whom have many years’ experience writing and teaching. The training workshops will be delivered from Liverpool Central Library and will be the first face-to-face project happening in the library with the easing of restrictions from the latest pandemic lockdown.
Over the 10-week course, you will learn about plot and character development, realistic dialogue, convincing descriptive writing, planning, research and editing.
Each session will be 90 minutes and be a mix of exercises and groupwork, with the expectation that participants do individual work between sessions, and the possibility of your final work being part of a published anthology, that will be available in Liverpool Central Library, as well as other outlets.
The course will start in the third week in May 2021, the final times, day and starting date for the sessions will be confirmed over the next few weeks – keep watching this and the LUMA Creations website for updated details.
If you are interested and feel that you can commit to a 10-week course, please contact Maya or Max, maya@lumacreations.org or max@lumacreations.org to find out more and register.
So, if you’re ready and committed to getting your creativity up and running again after what has been one of the most difficult years in living memory, please get in touch as soon as possible, as places for both these training courses are limited and will be taken up quickly.