Brilliant Bamboo has been pleased to work with Madeley High School on a Partners in Creative Learning Creative Freedom project.

As part of this brilliant 10-day programme spread from February to June with approx. 121 young people in years 7 and 8.

We invited seven artists who have worked with Brilliant Bamboo on our projects to introduce the young people into our way of working with artists, and to invite them to be our artists too.

Together we co-created works:

We worked with Brilliant Botanicals commissioned artist, Reiko Kaneko to share her practice, mark-making and to co-design a mural that was installed at the school with the young people in April 2026.

Images by Through a Lens Photography.

Simmi Sandhu shared her experience and supported the young people to design their own bamboo planter and make models.

We had a fantastic two days making bigger structures with Chloe Rickett, Faith Bebbington, Francesca Wheeler, and Dan Wiggins. Images by Through a Lens Photography.

We have spent two days photo-walking and zine-making with Dan Southward to introduce the young people to interesting ways to document and create artworks from the process. Images by Dan Southward.

Alice McCabe has worked with the young people to co-design an installation in a Grade II listed phone box in the village installed on 4 June, running to 30 June 2026. Part-funded by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s #UKSPF for our BAMBOO-ST project.

The project will culminate in a visit to the Brownfield Parklet to continue making at our space and complete our exchange.

Thank you to all the artists, teachers and young people.

If you’re interested in what we can do with your school, college, university or any other place working with young people, we’d love to chat.

Creative Freedom is a part of Partners in Creative Learning’s National Portfolio Organisation programme funded by Arts Council England.

Some aspects of this project were funded by additional funding through Brilliant Bamboo projects.