Creative Expressions in Libraries: Broughton Astley Library
In our third year of NPO activity we are excited to be working in Broughton Astley Library.
The Broughton Astley Library Working Group have worked hard to choose a project that reflects the desires and needs of their local community. The team at the library have a particularly close relationship with the users of the library and were determined to find a project that would enable them to both engage their current library users but also attract a new audience.
The project is using an under-utilised space within the library to hold an ‘art tree’ that will exhibit changing exhibitions, created by the local community. Local legends Gather Create Grow, the prodigies behind the Cosby Crafters and Cosby Yarn Bomb, have created a truly unique installation that is now ready to exhibit different types of art by the community. The tree has been co-created with local people with a ‘Community Call Out’ to create knitted and crocheted elements for the tree and a ‘Community Stitch Up’ where everyone helped to sew the pieces together.
We have also found multiple practitioners who will be co-creating art collections with different groups within the community from January to September 2025.
Exhibition One
Creative Practitioner Jo Shearer worked with three and four year olds from The PreSchool Play Station to create some amazing play dough shapes inspired by artists Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, and Vincent Van Gogh.
Exhibition Two
Creative Practitioner Katy Dynes collaborated with the Year Two pupils at Orchard Church of England Primary School to explore their favourite books, places, and people. Inspired by these shared stories, the children designed and crafted beautiful woodland garlands to celebrate their ideas. These garlands created a colourful and inspiration exhibition on our Community Art Tree.
Exhibition Three
Creative Practitioner Clare Pentlow held two fabulous workshops were local families created Easter decorations using Polish paper cutting techniques. The bright colours and beautiful patterns looked lovely against the earthy colours of the tree!
Exhibition Four
A group of students from Thomas Estley Community College were treated to a very different type of workshop in April! Artist Amanda Bywater instructed the group in creating some beautiful botanical mono-printed pieces of art, some of which made it on to the art tree, and some of which ended up being taken home as they were too beautiful to be parted with! The students enjoyed a very calm, sensory session and we all were very grateful to Amanda for the experience.
Exhibition Five
A return visit from Thomas Estley Community College produced our fifth exhibition, with a very different but just as exciting workshop for the young people! Louise Goult Textiles started by asking the group to think about their favourite book, illustration, or line of poetry or writing, and then to draw their intended design on a template. The group then moved on to bringing their design to life on their own hand embroidered hoop. The group learnt new skills, developed their resilience and patience, and produced some lovely hoops to hang on the Exhibition Tree!
Exhibition Six
Orchard Primary School Year Five students were treated to very exciting storytelling and creative ‘Story Birds’ experience with the fabulous Monika from Super Sparkle. Monika led the class in a creative storytelling and drama workshop exploring places where our story birds might travel to and the adventures they might have! The children planned out and decorated their own story bird, while thinking up their own story about what the bird was like and the adventures it may have. The children then hung their birds on the tree, and shared their stories about their birds with the whole class.
Exhibition Seven
We held a brilliant open family session in May 2026, led by the radiant Katy Dynes, otherwise known as Kitty Dinners. Children and their families built miniature springtime scenes inside clear baubles. Using natural materials including moss, twigs, leaves and feathers, plus colourful plasticine, each child and young person created a tiny animal and habitat, both real and imagined.
Community Participation Workers within the Culture Leicestershire team manage the work of Creative Practitioners, providing support, direction, and advice. Stephanie Strange is the Community Participation Worker managing this project. Please email or call with any informal enquiries: stephanie.strange@leics.gov.uk 0116 3058760.