socially engaged practice

Social Engagement is at the heart of my work as an artist. I work with communities or projects that have a story to share, from youth clubs and local organisations, to cultural groups, businesses and research institutions. Here's a snapshot of some of the projects I have developed.

ART TO GO
When lockdown became a reality in 2020, Showcase Gallery recalibrated new engagement practices in response to Covid-19 after the removal of face-to-face interaction with local communities. The frustration of this disconnect and the desire to get directly involved in supporting communities creatively was a key motivation to developing Art To Go. Another key factor was that communications between cultural organisations grew exponentially, as an online method of offering solidarity and discussing how lockdown would affect the city, both culturally and mentally. From these online meetings, we were able to map the growing concern that socio-economic divisions were increasing with young people particularly affected.While many venues were going publicly online with great cultural content, Southampton City Council noted that children in care did not necessarily have easy access to computers and were therefore at risk of being excluded from participation. As an artist I devised the concept of filling a pizza box full of art materials and arts activities to be handed directly to young people via key workers and carers who could deliver the boxes safely.

Rebel Music
Sound System Culture, The Story of Blues Parties in Southampton was a 2019 exhibition devised by Don John. It explored the impact of Jamaican music on British culture, in particular, the extraordinary story of the ‘Shebeens’ or ‘Blues’ clubs that were a key part of Southampton’s music scene in the 70s and 80s. Bringing together new artwork, old images and found footage, the exhibition creatively explored why these sound systems emerged in the city and what effect they had.

I worked with Don to produce an artwork which used photos to create a timeline of Black music in Southampton.

‘Memory of Caring’
To mark 75 years of the NHS,
‘Memory of Caring’ by myself and André Lewis features UHS in photographic form over the last 75 years.

Commissioned by Southampton Hospitals Charity, the collage is made up from a diverse collection of stories and images shared by patients, staff, and visitors.

You can immerse yourself in the journey of our
Southampton General Hospital. Some key moments and milestones, as well as the incredible care over the years.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY WORK VISIT INSTAGRAM @GOOD_IDEA_TODAY

PLEASE EMAIL ME joegoodideatoday@gmail.com

socially engaged practice