ROCKAWAY PARK'S WORKSHOP ARCHIVE
Here you'll find details about the workshops that have taken place at Rockaway so far, starting with the most recent. Our programme is developing all the time, so keep an eye on the Workshops page! All of our workshops include a delicious home cooked vegan lunch from the Vegan Cafe, plus refreshments throughout the day.
We’re always happy to hear from people who are interested in any of our workshops being run again, as well as hearing suggestions for additional workshops, or other collaborative educational projects.
If you'd like to get in touch to offer feedback, or collaborate with us on a creative workshop, please contact us below. Thank you - every insight is useful!
WORKSHOP INFO
To see the full picture, as well as all the details about a workshop,
please click on the relevant image below.
Silversmithing/Bangle Making with Charlotte Duckworth
This workshop is run by Charlotte, aka The Silver Duck, where participants learned how to design, then forge, a beautiful unique silver bangle.
An experienced and creative silversmith and jewellery maker, Charlotte guided everyone through the process, step by step. Not only did they have a personal hand-crafted piece to take home, but they also experienced the tools and techniques of silversmiths.
An experienced and creative silversmith and jewellery maker, Charlotte guided everyone through the process, step by step. Not only did they have a personal hand-crafted piece to take home, but they also experienced the tools and techniques of silversmiths.
It's A Woman's Weld with Coco @rustynutt.metalworks
The welcome return of this empowering workshop has seen all five dates (6th March, 12th March, 3rd April, 25th April & 15th May) filled with women learning how to weld and craft their own outdoor stove.
Coco’s approach to teaching metalwork encourages women to have a go and gain the confidence to use power tools, while learning how to make practical items in a safe supportive space. It’s a fun, social way to have a go at welding and use an angle grinder to make a piece out of used car wheels and other scrap metal.
More workshops are being planned for after the Summer, so keep an eye out for updates on Our Workshops page!
Coco’s approach to teaching metalwork encourages women to have a go and gain the confidence to use power tools, while learning how to make practical items in a safe supportive space. It’s a fun, social way to have a go at welding and use an angle grinder to make a piece out of used car wheels and other scrap metal.
More workshops are being planned for after the Summer, so keep an eye out for updates on Our Workshops page!
Rockaway Kids
Rockaway Kids is a new workshop series for children aged 8 - 11 that will become a regular event during half-term weeks and holidays.
This first workshop of creative activities based around art, nature and cooking, included ethical screen-printing, graffiti art, badge making, cooking, seed planting, plant pot making and games.
Led by expert teachers Si & Rona of Carry On Screening/Seditious Screen Prints, here's a bit of feedback on how it went:
"He loved the spray painting with Rowdy and the screen-printing, which are activities he hasn't done at home or school."
"Graffiti painting was a great experience - picking up tips and painting with a real life artist was brilliant."
"All in all a fab day, so thank you very much!"
This first workshop of creative activities based around art, nature and cooking, included ethical screen-printing, graffiti art, badge making, cooking, seed planting, plant pot making and games.
Led by expert teachers Si & Rona of Carry On Screening/Seditious Screen Prints, here's a bit of feedback on how it went:
"He loved the spray painting with Rowdy and the screen-printing, which are activities he hasn't done at home or school."
"Graffiti painting was a great experience - picking up tips and painting with a real life artist was brilliant."
"All in all a fab day, so thank you very much!"
Bruce's Guitar Workshop For Beginners
This one-day workshop offered the chance to learn how to play guitar with legendary guitarist Bruce Treasure from The Subhumans!
It was aimed at people who’ve always wanted to play but never learned, or could play a bit but wanted to develop. An expert teacher of rock, flamenco, classical and folk guitar, Bruce helped with tips, tricks and a wealth of musical knowledge. He also showed the workshop participants how to get the most out of their instrument, as well as how to care for it to ensure the best sound. Bruce’s guitar workshops are set to become a regular feature, so keep an eye out for the details on Our Workshops page. Here is some of the feedback from people who took part:
'Everything about this workshop was great - a whistle stop tour around the guitar!'
'Thank you so much! I really enjoyed interacting with a small group and the theory and musical knowledge, along with the practical tips were really valuable.'
'Bruce is a really nice bloke and I'd be especially interested in more of his guitar workshops.'
'Interesting place, lovely food - all thoroughly enjoyable. Bruce was so good - knowledgeable and supportive.'
It was aimed at people who’ve always wanted to play but never learned, or could play a bit but wanted to develop. An expert teacher of rock, flamenco, classical and folk guitar, Bruce helped with tips, tricks and a wealth of musical knowledge. He also showed the workshop participants how to get the most out of their instrument, as well as how to care for it to ensure the best sound. Bruce’s guitar workshops are set to become a regular feature, so keep an eye out for the details on Our Workshops page. Here is some of the feedback from people who took part:
'Everything about this workshop was great - a whistle stop tour around the guitar!'
'Thank you so much! I really enjoyed interacting with a small group and the theory and musical knowledge, along with the practical tips were really valuable.'
'Bruce is a really nice bloke and I'd be especially interested in more of his guitar workshops.'
'Interesting place, lovely food - all thoroughly enjoyable. Bruce was so good - knowledgeable and supportive.'
Ethical Screen-Printing Vol I & II with Carry on Screening
Hosted by Si & Rona of long-established specialists in ethical campaign and tour merchandise - Carry On Screening - these hands on workshops can be one or two days, and teach the art and origins of printing; the print process and what it entails, plus the tools of the trade. Encouraged to create your own seditious artwork, you'll learn how to create your own screen and print your design, with lots of opportunities to practice and draw upon Si and Rona's expertise.
Creating Short Stories with Michelle Diwell
For this two-day weekend workshop, Michelle helps budding writers tap into their creativity with inspirational writing exercises in the unique setting of Rockaway Park, with its craftspeople, studios, sculptures and community forest garden. She then guides them through the creative process involved with writing a short story, providing mentorship and support along the way. Here’s some of the feedback from people who have already taken part:
"I found Michelle really engaging and encouraging and came away inspired to write more. I love the setting and the food. Good timings of writing periods and breaks."
"It was a fantastic location and a great group of people. The practical tips about story shaping and what to bear in mind when editing were really valuable."
"I enjoyed all of it! I especially enjoyed being on the terrace learning space at Rockaway Park, then going into the atrium and the garden to work."
"I found Michelle really engaging and encouraging and came away inspired to write more. I love the setting and the food. Good timings of writing periods and breaks."
"It was a fantastic location and a great group of people. The practical tips about story shaping and what to bear in mind when editing were really valuable."
"I enjoyed all of it! I especially enjoyed being on the terrace learning space at Rockaway Park, then going into the atrium and the garden to work."
Tyre Furniture Making with Coco @rustynutt.metalworks
Tyre Furniture Skills is an international project founded by Coco, teaching tyre repurposing and furniture making out of waste tyres as an income generating skill. Held in the Rockaway Church, this two-day weekend workshop teaches you how to cut and weave bicycle and motorbike tyres to create different patterns and styles of chair seats and backs. You then learn the use of basic power/hand tools to attach these components to complete the build of your chair to take home and enjoy. This popular workshop is being run again soon, so keep an eye out for details on the Our Workshops page!
Cyanotype Photography with Suzi Hatfield
Experiment with this 19th century photographic process by producing cyanotype prints with the aid of today´s technology. This one-day weekend workshop covers a brief history of the process and takes a look at artists currently working with cyanotype, as well as the materials you need to get started. Exploring Rockaway Park and surrounding areas, you collect natural materials and take digital images, which are then transformed into large acetate negatives. You’re then shown how to create your own cyanotype prints, experimenting with the process in a variety of ways to produce a series of unique pieces of work.
Somerset Arts Week Family Workshops
These free weekend family workshops were held in a variety of spaces all over Rockaway Park and ran alongside the Somerset Art Works Open Studios, September 2021. Guided and supported during each workshop, families discovered the following:
Eco Art, with Mark Noble -
Painting scenes of nature on recycled materials; encouraging them to think about the world around us, express their creativity and reconnect with nature.
Creating Sculptures, with Owen Griffee -
Creating free formed stone sculptures from casting-based materials like cement, mortar and concrete.
Spin Art Plus with Abi and Star from Higher Beings -
Exciting experimental art techniques using paint-spinners, a printing press and inky plasma art.
Graffiti Art with Eddy Whirl -
Creating graffiti art basics; using spray paint, stencils, canvases and boards to produce take-home graffiti.
Textile Art with Shiva Page -
Creating amazing headwear from scrap and recycled materials.
One of the practitioners who took part said:
"It was a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed running the workshops in the space. The workshops went amazingly well and the amount of positive feedback I received from families taking part was immense. People thoroughly enjoyed working with the materials and were really enthusiastic, with lots of comments on how therapeutic and engaging they were."
Eco Art, with Mark Noble -
Painting scenes of nature on recycled materials; encouraging them to think about the world around us, express their creativity and reconnect with nature.
Creating Sculptures, with Owen Griffee -
Creating free formed stone sculptures from casting-based materials like cement, mortar and concrete.
Spin Art Plus with Abi and Star from Higher Beings -
Exciting experimental art techniques using paint-spinners, a printing press and inky plasma art.
Graffiti Art with Eddy Whirl -
Creating graffiti art basics; using spray paint, stencils, canvases and boards to produce take-home graffiti.
Textile Art with Shiva Page -
Creating amazing headwear from scrap and recycled materials.
One of the practitioners who took part said:
"It was a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed running the workshops in the space. The workshops went amazingly well and the amount of positive feedback I received from families taking part was immense. People thoroughly enjoyed working with the materials and were really enthusiastic, with lots of comments on how therapeutic and engaging they were."
Silversmithing/Ringmaking with Charlotte Duckworth
Held on the Rockaway Terrace, this one-day weekend workshop shares the tools and techniques used by silversmiths to create a beautiful custom-made piece of jewellery. Charlotte helps you choose your own ring design from a variety of samples and images to make your piece within the limits of the materials provided. She then guides you through the making process step by step - cutting, shaping and hammering your silver, then forming and soldering it into a ring. You also have the option to add texturing to your finished piece, with an opportunity to practice techniques in copper. The finished ring is then yours to wear or give to someone special as a unique handmade gift.
Here is some of the feedback from people who took part:
"A really interactive, informative and fun course. Friendly, skilled, knowledgeable and patient tutor. Really great venue, delicious lunch and relaxed vibe."
"A perfect fun day! Great teacher and a great atmosphere."
"Amazing value for money! Amazing setting to do a workshop. I learned so much!"
Here is some of the feedback from people who took part:
"A really interactive, informative and fun course. Friendly, skilled, knowledgeable and patient tutor. Really great venue, delicious lunch and relaxed vibe."
"A perfect fun day! Great teacher and a great atmosphere."
"Amazing value for money! Amazing setting to do a workshop. I learned so much!"
It's A Woman's Weld with Coco @rustynutt.metalworks
Held in the Rockaway Church, this introduction to metalwork for women teaches you how to make an outdoor fire stove from used car wheels and scrap metal, by applying the skills of welding and grinding metal. Coco’s main approach to teaching metalwork is to open up the opportunity for women to have a go and gain confidence using power tools, while learning how to make practical items in a safe space. This one-day weekend workshop is a fun, social way to have a go at welding to create a finished piece that’s yours to take home and enjoy. Here is just some of the feedback:
"Empowering!"
"What an amazing experience - Coco is a brilliant teacher!"
"Loved it! It gave me confidence to carry on with welding in my own time."
"Empowering!"
"What an amazing experience - Coco is a brilliant teacher!"
"Loved it! It gave me confidence to carry on with welding in my own time."
ROCKAWAY PARK
"Would those who say it can't be done, please stand clear of those doing it"