Jackie Luvs Burgerman

Jackie 'I- can't-draw' McFie one of the Youth Project workers at Grey Lodge has discovered Jon Burgerman, a Nottingham based artist who's inspired her to draw. With a set of five fabric pens (£2.50 each) and a cotton bag (£1) she now has a one-off bag made by herself.

"Maybe you can ask that guy Jon Burgerman for some freebies? I never knew anything about Jon Burgerman before and now I have produced a bag influenced by his style! "

"He's influenced me to be confident to do art, because its achievable. Its not frightening, I see it and I think 'I could do that' ,or 'I could do something similar like that'."

"His style is just really appealing. I think its the mis-shapes and the way not everything has to be square and tidy. Its messy and its just the ideal style for our young people to get into. You can say here you go, make a mess and now look what you have at the end of it - it looks fantastic!"

The bag-pens & Burgerman combination also inspired Grey Lodge youth worker Kerri Sutherland,

" Not only the Tagtool was popular but the T-shirt design and bags. After the Nine Trades workshop I went and made a whole load of bags with my youth group." Kerri

"We have now got four fabric pens that were £2.50 each! We also really liked working with the Posca pens."

Nine Trades was able to provide both fabric pens and Posca pens for the workshop.

"Nine Trades providing the pens, that was really helpful. Grey Lodge is surviving on next to nothing, we just had a big full page article in the local newspaper about the cuts we have experienced. This is an area of deprivation, high unemployment and few opportunities. The Hilltown recently had one of its community centres reduced to rubble due to cuts. The cuts have been brutal in the past year and its going to get worse. Grey Lodge has been going for 122 years its basically been surviving on the commitment of staff and volunteers as well as finding funding. It's very worrying we don't know what's going to happen. At the moment we are waiting on a decision from Children in Need ... if we don't get it something will have to go. The services we provide here at Grey Lodge are crucial for the local community and for some of the surrounding areas too. Through the work we do we can bring young people together, working together, through this work we can address issues such as territorial barriers. Working on a common theme of arts and community, producing a piece of work, something they can work towards over the course of the year." Jackie

Link to Jon Burgermans website

The Tagtool laptop computer based at the Central Library is sporting some of Jon's stickers.

We asked Jackie - What use will the Tagtool be to your work in the future?

"At the moment it would help engage with young people. Especially with those who are not confident with their literacy and not confident within themselves that they are any good at anything. The fact they can pick up that little pen and do a scribble and we get art at the end of it, is great. It will help the fun element in this learning approach. Mixing with other people, team building, loads of things it can cover and address." Jackie