Happy New Year and Happy 30th Birthday DIY!

Photo: Happy New Year and Happy 30th Birthday DIY!

2024 marks DIY’s 30th birthday and we are going to celebrate it in STYLE!

We are starting off by unveiling our 30th birthday logo, which will appear on everything – from our website to our socials and all our other communications – throughout the year.

We will be celebrating our 30 years during the first thirty weeks of the year. Watch out for lots of exciting creative projects with a birthday theme!

photo: there are a group of people in costumes. Most have blue tunics but one is wearing a red and blue workwear shirt. They are all facing the camera, many have their hands raised and are shouting or singing. At the top it says 'Celebrating 30 years 1994-2024' in colourful letters with balloons

We got birthday presents!

Thanks to welcome birthday presents of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Whose Art, Whose Culture Fund, managed by Salford CVS on behalf of Salford City Council, we will be running two major projects. Close Knit will be a textiles project and Exploring our Past; Shaping our Futures a film and photography project.

Exploring our Past; Shaping our Futures

‘Exploring our Past; Shaping our Futures’ will be funded through the Whose Art, Whose Culture Fund. The project will enable people with lived experience of learning disability to:

  • explore and profile their identities as artists and leaders with lived experience of learning disability
  • celebrate the achievements of DIY members past and present
  • document the challenges and successes of the last 30 years
  • reflect on the past to move forward into the future

30 adult participants with learning disabilities will gather and tell their stories using film, photography, and storytelling. Some have been involved in DIY for many years, whilst others have only recently become involved.

We will be working with film-maker Hilary Easter-Jones and photographer Audrey Albert on this project. It will culminate in  a series of education workshops, the production of a film, an exhibition and two celebratory events during Learning Disability Week 2024.

photo: 4 people are sitting around a colourful stripey textile or rug. 3 are looking at this, and one woman is kneeling beside it. A man sitting at the back has noticed the camera and is looking at us.

Close Knit

The name Close Knit references the textiles skills members will be learning as well as the community of people with lived experience of learning disabilities who have developed the member-led company over the past 30 years.

Visual artist Claire Hignett will work with members to create a soft handling sculpture that represents the history and legacy of the company. The sculpture will take the form of a series of textile cubes. Each face will depict a different memory or story.

Alongside the development of the sculpture, members will work with film-maker Hilary Easter Jones to create a film. As well as documenting the process of creating the sculpture the filmmaking will also allow us to explore the stories that emerge as the textile is created.

'30 years' in big red and violet letters with 3 balloons on each side. Underneath written smaller '1994-2024'

DIY is 30 – An invitation for everybody to get involved in the celebrations!

DIY is the product of everyone who has been part of the organisation over the past 30 years. Whether you’re a current or past member, current or past DIY artist, supporter, project partner or audience member, you’ve been part of making us what we are today and we want you to be part of our celebrations.

To help us celebrate you can….

  • send us a “Happy 30th Birthday DIY!” message – on your phone, your tablet or in the post!!! We will be sharing your messages on our Social Media throughout the year and on our special Happy Birthday! section of this website.
  • tell us about the difference DIY has made to you by completing the form below.
  • tell us what DIY means to you by getting creative – send us a song, a poem, a picture, a film, a print, a sculpture, a recording, a photograph….
  • “save the date” for two exciting celebration events in June to coincide with Learning Disability Week 2024.
    • The first event will be at the Adelphi Theatre, University of Salford on Tuesday 18th June and the
    • second event will be at The Angel Centre on Friday 21st June.
  • sign up to our Mailchimp newsletter, follow us on Social Media and watch out for lots of exciting projects happening throughout the year.

Please complete this form to tell us about the difference DIY has made to you:

 

Our thanks to the funders who are supporting the projects which will help us celebrate DIY’s 30th Birthday.

Exploring our Past; Shaping our Futures project is being funded through the ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture Fund’ – Managed by Salford CVS on behalf of Salford City Council; monies from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund via Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

logo strip; 'Greater Manchester, Doing Things Differently', 'Powered by Levelling Up', 'Salford City Council', 'Funded by UK Government', Salford CVS, Making a difference in Salford'.

Close Knit sculpture project is being funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

logo of National Lottery Heritage Fund