Yellow House

I am feeling quite uplifted today

I have just been to the Yellow House at 8 Marmaduke Street

Somehow I have been slow at discovering this wonderful place, but thanks to Steve Faragher for making the introductions I have now met George and Gosia McKane.

They have a big georgian house that they took over last year, on three floors.

Essentially they work with young people from the Kensington area who are generally in one way or another disaffected before they come through the open door. Perhaps they have had a hard life and have come through referral, or maybe they have a disability of some kind and dont find it easy to engage in regular activity that other young people do.

So they find their way to Yellow House and then get involved in the various art projects on offer.

That is art in its fullest sense. Painting, drama, theatre, reading, film and so on, but also a holistic approach generally, they can learn about cooking, budgeting, learning to be an adult.

It was clear from just one visit that this art is not dumbed down, if anything it is dumbed up, if there is such a thing. The young people made a film a few years ago about Dante and Beatrice, set in Liverpool. Their current project is an exhibition entitled Look Up Liverpool currently on display at no less a place than St George's Hall. It is a photographic exploration of Liverpool's architecture, history and heritage.

George and Gosia and Yellow House (named after Van Gogh's home - he always had an open door too) have worked with young people all over the world. I counted 24 on the brochure they gave me.

Inspirational, not just for the young people, but for national and international respected figures in the arts world.

I am going to take advantage of their open door to make sure I learn more about them and their work and hopefully meet some of the young people who they are working with.

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