Why it matters: The Ipswich Docks Art Project preserves and passes on maritime stories and memories to a new generation, ensuring Ipswich's working waterfront heritage continues to be understood and valued by local young people.
The project: Evans received an artist bursary from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival as one of three young creatives from Ipswich to receive funding. The initiative combines oral history collection, archival research and creative expression to celebrate local maritime history.
"It's about celebrating local history," she said.
The full circle moment: Returning to her former primary school proved particularly meaningful for Evans, who noted she "recognised some of the same teachers" during the workshops.
By the numbers: More than 80 children participated in the project, with pupils from three different Year 6 classes at Springfield Junior School taking part in workshops during May. On celebration day, last Monday, 7 July, approximately 60 children visited various waterfront locations.
What they did: The workshops centred around oral history stories and memories of working on the waterfront and river. Children engaged in artwork, dancing, and sea shanty singing while learning about local maritime heritage through archives from the Ipswich Maritime Trust, Suffolk Archives, and the East Anglian Film Archive.
The bigger picture: Evans highlighted a common misconception about Ipswich's current role, explaining that "Ipswich is actually still a very active port. It's one of the biggest agricultural exporters in the UK," though this is not visually apparent due to the town's layout.
What's on show: The exhibition at the Waterfront Museum features children's artistic responses to the workshops, positioned "right next to the exact locations that these kids have been learning about in their workshops."
The celebration: During the project finale, children reviewed their own exhibition, visited the Victor barge to learn about its history, and viewed the current exhibition at The Hold.
The partnerships: Evans conceived and delivered the project using her Norfolk and Norwich Festival bursary, with Ipswich Maritime Trust serving as the charity partner. The Maritime Trust provided crucial access to their archives, while Suffolk Archives and the East Anglian Film Archive also contributed archival material for the workshops. Additional collaboration came from Gecko Theatre, The Orwellermen, and CHIP Studios, where practice development workshops took place with Chris Turland telling stories about the waterfront.
The bottom line: This project creates a lasting bridge between Ipswich's maritime past and its young residents, ensuring local heritage knowledge is passed to the next generation through creative engagement.
