Heritage Month launched with an Artwork Showcase at Local Studies

A SHOWCASE of artwork has been created with Tameside volunteers and established artist, Christine Anderson, for the launch of Heritage Month 2025.

The collaboration saw volunteers draw inspiration from Local Studies archived collections, to create artwork that symbolises the nine towns of Tameside. Inspiration was taken from scrap books, business cards, leaflets, written documents, hand painted albums and photographs.

The unique piece of artwork has been created over the past six months, for the atrium in Local Studies. The final piece features both a stained-glass effect and a quilted element, representing the nine towns of Tameside and the richness of Tameside Local Studies Archives.

Volunteers and Christine were invited to the showcase event for the piece, on Monday 8 September, to be the first to view the artwork they helped inspire. This event took place at Tameside Local Studies and Archives Centre. The Civic Mayor of Tameside, Cllr Shibley Alam, was also in attendance to share appreciation and praise for the volunteers. The artwork is open to visitors from Tuesday 9 September, during the usual opening hours.

The collaboration has been funded by FLAG.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Culture, Cllr Leanne Feeley said: “We are very excited for the showcase event to share the work of some of our amazing volunteers and the great artist, Christine Anderson. It’s a representation of some of the truly fantastic artwork within Tameside.

“It’s also a great way to launch Heritage Month 2025, by using archived work to create a new atrium in Local Studies, which we can’t wait to unveil! It’s amazing that some of Tameside’s volunteers had the opportunity to collaborate with an established artist, to create something so prominent and local to them.”

For more information on the archives, click here.