Love Woodrow - a Community Public Art Project in Redditch

This film celebrates the co-creation of new public art in Redditch, 'Love Woodrow', by local residents and renowned glass artist Sarah Brown. In the summer of 2024, people in Woodrow told us they wanted to ‘brighten up’ the neighbourhood. They told us about the challenges they see as barriers to health, wellbeing and creativity. People talked about wanting to see sculptures and murals. Conversations revealed a lack of cultural opportunities, too. Many young people spoken to had never been to a museum or gallery. So, the Love Woodrow Public Art project proposed a series of sculptures to explore place, culture and heritage. There was an enormous range of ideas put forward by these young people. How to co-create the art​ The Love Woodrow Public Art would be created hand-in-hand with renowned glass artist Sarah Brown, our artist in residence, and the people of Woodrow to reimagine their neighbourhood creatively. Co-creation would ensure that the work stayed relevant to Woodrow people and would be owned by them.  Artist Sarah and the Love Woodrow production team worked together with the community in Woodrow to run creative workshops throughout late autumn and winter 2024. This process led to the creation of three unique and vibrant artworks, which are distinct to the Woodrow community. The artwork takes three forms: a vibrant mural spanning several metres that celebrates Woodrow’s past and present, a colourful clay collage featuring self-made figures of Woodrow residents, and a brilliant glass collage inspired by local memories. These memories include the old sweet shop, 12p toy planes from Bill’s Store, fishing at Arrow Valley Lake, and the beloved Friday night discos. The community installed the three art pieces on the exterior wall and inside the Woodrow Community Centre. Celebration event Hundreds of people filled Woodrow on a cold Saturday evening before Christmas 2024 to parade and party, celebrating Redditch’s stunning new public artwork, Love Woodrow. MP Chris Bloore and local councillors joined the festivities, walking alongside residents in the pre-party lantern parade. Happy and excited crowds lit up the neighbourhood with lanterns they had crafted themselves. We could have listed numbers and statistics here to show just how many lives this project has touched and, we hope, helped to make more positive. But, we think the words of the people who live in Woodrow are the most important evidence of all. These are their voices: "It's great to see the community coming together." "People are being neighbours again." "It's the first time I've been back in 30 years." "We don't have anything like this." "It felt like it used to." "It's a great community event that has got people together." "It's art by agreement." "It's unprecedented!" Richard Bromhall, Programme Director for Reimagine Redditch, said, “This film shows the incredible co-creation of the Love Woodrow public art. By working with Severn Arts, we ensured the artwork reflects the community’s identity and belongs to them. “We deeply appreciate everyone who supported this project, including Severn Arts, the Inclusive Communities Fund, Woodrow Community Centre, Woodrow Library, Your Ideas Redditch, and Woodrow’s schools. Most importantly, we thank the generous and imaginative local people who participated in creative events to co-create this inspiring art.” Elaine Knight, Arts Director at Severn Arts and a Reimagine Redditch consortium member, added, “The Inclusive Communities Fund strives to make a difference in people’s lives by supporting projects that address inequalities. Securing an award from this fund thrilled us because of its positive impact on nearly 5,000 people in Woodrow. “Our artist, Sarah Brown, collaborated with new and established groups in Woodrow to co-create a unique programme of activities addressing local issues. Seeing, sharing, and enjoying the incredible art they created together is wonderful.” ​The Love Woodrow project is a collaboration between Severn Arts and Reimagine Redditch. The initiative is supported by a £69,000 grant from the Inclusive Communities Fund — a £9 million initiative inspired by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Contact Reimagine Redditch here to share your ideas and sign up to Reimagine Redditch’s mailing list or follow them on social media.