Community
Outreach

During the early research phase of this project, Kerry became aware that swift birds had recently joined the endangered ‘red’ list of species (with a 60% reduction in their numbers over the last 25 years).

She wanted to see if the community could be mobilised to help make LOTS of new homes to support and encourage swift birds to move into Heyford Park.

In early Feb 2024 the artist worked with teams of Y1 + Y6 students at the school to paint 70x wooden bird box fronts. These swift bird box fronts were cleverly turned into finished bird boxes by the Heyford Makers Shed Group over the the spring and summer and will be installed on homes across Heyford in time for the swifts to arrive in 2025.

The students also made and exhibited swift sculptures and extra kits for these were distributed to the secondary school art club and home educated young people across Heyford Park.

Kerry was able to share her ideas for the project, gather and incorporate feedback during valuable consultation sessions with;

Students in the Primary and Secondary school assemblies
The ‘School Council’ student reps
The Y6 school ‘Leadership Group’
The Heyford Sheds group
Local teens
School parents
An open resident consultation at the Community Centre
The Heritage Centre drop in participants

An important legacy of Kerry’s work in this community has been her commitment to local artists Miranda Jones and Anne-Marie Cadman who received mentoring throughout the project to develop their confidence and strategy to develop their careers.

museshop.format.com

CommunityOutreach

Community
Outreach