This Easter holidays saw our partnership with Afrocats develop even further as we ventured into the great outdoors together. Whitworth Park was transformed into a giant outdoor art studio, for families to come along and get creative in the outdoors.

Afrocats x Wild Whitworth took place on Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 April 2023. The idea of the Outdoor Art Studio was inspired by the Althea McNish exhibition currently on display inside the gallery.

Althea McNish was the first Caribbean designer to achieve international recognition and one of the most influential and innovative textile designers in the UK. Her designs feature natural imagery drawn from the abundance of tropical flora and fauna from her native Trinidad and a ‘tropicalised’ interpretation of the British landscape achieved through energy and visual complexity.

Families in the Outdoor Art Studio were invited to create their own nature inspired master pieces not only using nature as the inspiration but actually painting WITH nature too. The idea was to get children and their families playing outdoors, in the fresh air and connecting with nature and planting positive relationships with the environment.

Afrocats x Wild Whitworth activities were open-ended and child-led allowing children the freedom to move around in their own time and at their own pace. We included lots of different surfaces for families to paint on, encouraging experimentation and playfulness. We had sheets hanging between the trees, easels, cardboard on the ground as well as the usual paper. We also invited families to experiment with different ways they could explore mark making. These included plungers, sticks, string, home-made paintbrushes, leaves, twigs and feathers.

There was plenty to occupy the older ones with more guided learning about mixing and making natural paints and making natural paintbrushes. We provided lots of different materials and tools to make paint. The favourite was definitely using graters to grate chalk (pictured below). Families also made paintbrushes by foraging for sticks and simply attaching them to a larger stick with twine (Pictured below)

Over the three days we had over 600 families participating 44%of which had never visited the Whitworth before. The weather was very mixed throughout the week which affected numbers. The first day was glorious but the second and third days were typically Mancunian and so wellies, raincoats and umbrellas were needed. We had a range of wellies and raincoats of many sizes from toddlers to teens, and a few adults too, so if any visitors didn’t have the gear they could borrow some of ours.

More about the Afrocats x Whitworth partnership

Afrocats is an award-winning charity that supports those facing social exclusion in Greater Manchester. Together as an Afrocats x Whitworth partnership, we aim to bring quality cultural opportunities to families from all backgrounds and create a place of sanctuary. This powerful partnership began in February 2022 and grown each half term ever since. We see this partnership as a long term one, and one that we hope can make positive social change. Together we are passionate about breaking down social, economic, cultural and language barriers so people can have a more rounded and better quality of life.

Thanks goes to our amazing team of artists and volunteers who, despite the cold and rainy days, still had a smile on their face and welcomed families in with warmth and enthusiasm.

Watch the video below to get a flavour of how the week went:

Thanks to the Manchester City Council Youth and Play fund for making the Easter holiday activities possible.