Ipswich based charity Inside Out Community launches a new mural on the Ipswich Waterfront with special guests; Omid and Annabel Djalili

A successful and busy mural launch party took place on the 17th June at Dance East to celebrate a new mural on the Ipswich Waterfront. The charity also organised art workshops, an art exhibition and layed on snacks and drinks to guests from across the town who have been part of the project. The new mural and the launch have been created to celebrate the multicultural local creative community and to raise awareness of the wonderful and important work that Inside Out Community do in Ipswich. At the launch, celebrated Iranian/British actor and comedian Omid Djalili spoke of the importance of creativity in relation to mental health. He, together with his wife Annabel, Ipswich Residents, have spoken of their support of Inside Out Community and the important work they do as it enters its 20th year working in arts and mental health.

The charity were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021 and has also recently received the Pride in Practice GOLD award in recognition of their work.  

Inside Out is a thriving community of artists, volunteers and members who use art and creativity as a way of maintaining their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Art Eat Events, the producers of the mural project, encourages everyone to see what they do, and support this fantastic local charity if you can.  

The relaxed workshop and art sales took place in the foyer of Dance East, a fantastic venue right next to the mural itself. People engaged in short art workshops to get a taste of the types of activities that the charity offers.  

The new mural painted on Ipswich Waterfront is a collaborative design led by Suffolk based artist Allan Williams with the support of Colchester based mural artist Adrian Leroy. The design celebrates two years of creative and well-being workshops run with multi-ethnicity groups. These communities participated in free art workshops where they made art of all kinds from music to pottery, from textile art to drumming, from dance to creative writing, all an exploration of culture and community, with creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the activities.  

The project itself was made possible with funding support from the Baring Foundation as well as a few other funders, Inside Out Community reached out to people from more than ten communities in Ipswich over the past two years including the Anglo Chinese Cultural Exchange (ACCE), Suffolk Chinese Family Welfare Association (SCFWA), Karibu African Support Group, Be Me Like We, Guru Nanak Gurdwara Ipswich Sikh Temple, Ipswich Community Media Integration Team’s ESOL group, The Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community, the Roma Community, members of the Windrush Generation as well as two new groups created through this project – a new Bangladeshi women’s group and an Eastern European group.  

This project is a major milestone in the charity’s mission to enable creative activities to support mental health and emotional wellbeing through the work it does. Inside Out Community works with members of the public of all abilities, from many different local diverse communities as well as LGBTQ+, many of whom face barriers to access to creative arts and support services. Since starting the mural project, many new cross-cultural relationships have been formed and it is hoped that this will be further nurtured through the future weekly arts programs being offered by the charity from the 20th June 2023 in Ipswich.  

Inside Out Community runs a range of well-being artistic workshops for adults with emotional and mental health needs. The programme involves visual arts, music, creative writing, dance and movement, and is delivered by professional artists with a sensitivity to mental and emotional health challenges. If you are feeling like you may benefit from some creativity in your life, why not register to take part in the program of workshops currently taking place. 

Those interested in a truly multicultural art experience led by professional artists in the company of other like-minded people in a safe and friendly creative environment.  Workshop dates are:  

Tuesday 4th July – Chinese Painting with Lydia 

Tuesday 11th July – Activate Your Why with Karen 

Tuesday 18th July – Indian Block Printing with Rahila 

Workshops are open to anyone aged 18 and over and will be held at Eastern Angles Centre, Gatacre Road, Ipswich IP1 2LQ. Workshops are free to attend with a recommended donation of £3 towards materials. To book these workshops please call 01473 563900 or email [email protected] 

Ankita Aggarwal, the Project Manager at Inside Out Community said, “Besides learning new skills, members of Inside Out Community value the services it offers for allowing creative expression while strengthening community cohesion and reducing loneliness, anxiety and depression. Several members have grown in confidence with time to become volunteers, staff members as well as Trustees of the charity. We would like to thank our funder Baring Foundation and our wonderful team of volunteers for helping us to help others on their creative wellbeing journey.” 

To know more about other creative programs for adults, or to donate or support the charity please visit https://www.insideoutcommunity.com or contact [email protected]