News from: Reading Borough Council
A unique community newspaper, celebrating the diverse and rich culture of the Oxford Road, will join the growing line-up of artworks celebrating Reading’s local heritage this month.
Reading Council’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) commissioned the project from visual artists Lisa-Marie Gibbs and Philip Newcombe, as part of the ongoing cultural project, funded by Historic England.
‘The Oxford Road Times’ is a one-off, limited-edition, free newspaper, telling the stories, and highlighting the creativity, of the Oxford Road. It will be distributed in newsagents, shops, libraries and outlets along and near the Oxford Road in West Reading.
Within its pages is documentation of a range of happenings, events and workshops that the artists delivered with various community groups in the area during the summer of 2022. Highlights include ‘Bearing Witness to Grey’ a study of the colours found in between the IDR and West Reading Bridge, and ‘Mango rains’, seven stories from seven local people delving into different voices and personal histories.
For more background on the project visit The Oxford Road Times instagram @oxfordroadtimes.
Following the successful HSHAZ pilot projects in 2021, these latest creative projects join the wider community art produced involving four other local artists, Caroline Streatfield, Baker Street Productions, Gemma Anusa and Arron Lowe’s projects which have been launched in 2021 in celebration of the Oxford Road and the rich and diverse heritage of the area.