Heart of Glass is an agency for collaborative and social arts practice based in St Helens, Merseyside.
Made possible by an initial investment of £1.5 million from Arts Council England through the Creative People and Places programme, it is supported by a consortium which brings together St Helens Rugby Football Club, Helena Partnerships housing group, FACT (Foundation for Art + Creative Technology), St Helens Council, St Helens Arts Partnership (Platform Arts, The Citadel arts centre and The World of Glass museum) as well as new partners St Helens College, Northwest Museum of Road Transport, Carers UK and Health Watch.
The Heart of Glass programme is rooted in collaborative practice and embodies the principle of partnership.Our core values, philosophy and approach as a project are founded on co- production with the community and the active participation of the collaborator, non-artist, audience and viewer in the creation of great art. People, both individually and within communities of place or interest, are central to both our thinking and our practice.
Heart of Glass is made with, of and for St Helens. Through our projects, we create a space for dialogue, research and experimentation for artists and citizens in which the inter-relationship between people and place can be explored, gathering and valuing diverse perspectives in understanding, articulation and development of St helens as a place, supporting people as constructors of that narrative, drawing out its ‘DNA’, and using that ‘DNA’ as a unique artistic platform for expression.
Heart of Glass is St Helens’ response to the Creative People and Places programme, made possible by investment from Arts Council England (ACE). We are one of 21 Creative People and Places programmes supported by ACE across the country.