Throughout June to August 2019 five Eve’s Space women in Bolton, along with the mother of one of these women, met together with a local creative agency – Create Bolton – to put together some amazing artwork. The theme – Awakening Beautiful Possibilities – Bringing to Life What Is Waiting To Happen – and the artwork were all their ideas. The culmination was an exhibition on the 7th August 2019 at Bolton Library. The Mayor attended the event and spoke of the pieces being of a professional standard. The display stayed at the library until the 9th August. It will now be exhibited for another month at Create Bolton in September. A discussion with the women will be taking place as to whether, after this, they would like to take their work home or put it up at another location in Bolton on display. One woman was asked if she would sell what she had created.

The women gelled really well together and were a great support to one another, so much so that they are continuing to go to Create Bolton for other art/ creative sessions.

The Bolton News wrote the following piece on the exhibition:

Women being helped by Eve’s Space reveal their inner beauty through art

In a project co-ordinated by Eve’s Space (an Urban Outreach run project which supports women who may have been in contact with the law, including as a victim) and Create Bolton six women have created individual works of art to feature in Awakening Beautiful Possibilities: “Bringing to life what is waiting to happen”.

The exhibition had a special preview over the last two days at Bolton Library, with the artists and their families present. Next month it will show at Café Create in Bark Street.

Dave Bagley, Chief Executive, said: “The artworks are quite moving, through them it is finding who they are behind the mask, the inner beauty, and how they want to be seen. They were quite humbled when people told them how extraordinary their artwork was. Mayor Hilary Fairclough said their work would not have been out of place in an exhibition by those artists who do it for a living.”

One of the women wrote, to accompany her artwork: “I have chosen the butterfly because they are perfect. Even if they are slightly damaged their beauty is visible. I think others see our damage first and don’t look or want to see the beauty in me.”

The exhibition will open at Café Create on Friday September 6th and will run until September 28th.