#Repost @craftspaceyouth (Post 2 of 3) PARRTY: A zine celebrating young women & girls on Parr. @katehodgsonprints is an artist from St Helens, working across the North West. She is interested in how print can be a democratic art form, using art to communicate to people wherever they are, not confining it to gallery spaces. Print is an accessible medium and Kate uses people’s familiarity with it to communicate in a direct way on t-shirts, posters, and with zines. For her #WeAreCommoners project, Kate worked with @ourheartofglass to collaborate with young women in Parr in St Helens on the zine project PARRTY. Made by young women, for young women, they shared their experiences of what it is like to live and grow up in Parr, what makes Parr special, what they would change about it, and what they would like to stay the same. PARRTY placed young women’s experiences, stories and views at its centre, listening to their thoughts and opinions, celebrating their stories, amplifying their voices, and making them visible. The final PARRTY zines were produced with the young women, from the drawings and artwork to the paper designs and creative activities. We asked Kate: why was it important to amplify the voices of young women living in Parr? What did they gain from being involved in the project? ‘I think it is important for all women, whatever age or location to be celebrated and have their voices heard. Parr and St Helens in particular is a place where often voices go unheard and young women are under-represented. The project allowed them to express themselves creatively and create something as a community - something that was needed after the pandemic.’ Did the project help with your own development? ’It has been fantastic for me to work on a project of this time scale, I have been able to grow and develop as an artist alongside a group of amazing young women. It has pushed me to think on my feet (thanks to the pandemic) and make work in a new way - until this project I had never made a zine or used risograph.’ #commoning #YoungPeople #SupportingYoungWomen #CreativeYourhEngagement #zines #print #ParticipatoryPrint #KatehHodgson #OurHeartOfGlass #StHelens #RisoPrint