A Creative Showcase will be held at two Salford venues this month to raise awareness of homelessness and poverty with a display of locally made artwork.
Mustard Tree, based in Eccles and Little Hulton, will be hosting its Christmas Creative Showcases on December 17 and 19 to celebrate the art created by the charity’s members.
Mustard Tree provides opportunities for under-privileged individuals across Salford and Manchester, creating a safe environment for people to connect, create and be involved in their local community.
Jack Barton, Head of Communications and Impact at Mustard Tree, said: “Our mission is to combat poverty and prevent homelessness. A lot of it is about tackling social isolation. There are lots of different types of poverty.
“It’s more about building a community, we want to give our buildings back to the local community and invite in as many different people as we can.”
The volunteers at Mustard Tree work together with those who need help to provide food, clothing, furniture and support; they aim to create a safe environment for anyone who needs their support.
Jamie Corlett, Mustard Tree Volunteer and art facilitator, said: “It’s a safe space where everybody from all over can come, people from different backgrounds, people of different ethnicities, they all come together, and they all grow and form bonds and form friendships.
“It helps get them out of the house, it helps to motivate them, it gives them a well-being and the security that they belong somewhere, and they have got somewhere where they can express themselves.”
The Mustard Tree Hubs provide training and support for those in need, including ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), computer confidence, and drop-in classes.
Jack said: “We’ve found in the past that people will come and attend these sessions because they’re living in freezing cold accommodations and they can’t afford to put the heating on, so we can’t underestimate how important that is, hot tea and social interaction, that’s a big part of it.”
As well as their food club and furniture gifting, Mustard Tree hosts creative classes and workshops for people of all walks of life to create and display artworks.
Jack said: “Being able to offer a safe, welcoming space for people to come to and the benefits of that could have on that individual and society as a whole is really important.
“Putting on bespoke things helps us get funding for the organisation, which is then reinvested into the people who use the service.”
Jamie said: “There are a lot of people who don’t like to go out of the house, especially in this area, they close their door, and their mindset starts to sink. It’s nice to have something where everyone can come and have a bit of an escape.
“Creativity is important for their well-being, it’s important for their state of mind, it stops them from being lonely; there’s not a lot of stuff in people’s lives that motivates them or gives them that push.”
Jack said: “It’s really important to do the exhibition element because you want an endpoint, you want to give people the opportunity to display what they’ve created and I think it ties it up very nicely. It makes people feel proud.”
Mustard Tree aims to empower and inspire the people they work with through the creative sessions leading up to their showcases, giving people the opportunity to express themselves artistically.
Jack explained: “The main thing we have is displays of the work that people have been creating throughout the sessions and a lot of the people who have participated and created the work will be present.
“The team are organising some small things as well, like games of bingo and a tombola. It’s free for all, it’s welcome to all, people can drop in and have a chat with us and see the artwork.”
With activities and a range of artworks to view, the Mustard Tree Creative Showcase invites members of the community to support their cause with this festive display.
Jamie said: “My hopes for the event is to showcase their work and how hard each and every one of them has come.
“Each week they put a piece of themselves into their artwork, so to get a bit of recognition back for them and to see their faces light up when people show up.”
The showcases are free entry and open to all.
The first showcase will be held at Mustard Tree Little Hulton, Haysbrook Avenue from 10am until 2pm on 17 December.
The second showcase will be held at Mustard Tree Eccles, Southway from 10am till 3pm on 19 December.
Jack Barton said: “I think the best contribution somebody can make is coming along to the show to support it, and please share it: with your colleagues, with your friends, with your family.”
Visit Mustard Tree for more information.
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