Slow Boat hosts free creative activities including collage as part of A Canalside Arcana, the launch of a new public art trail by artist Anna Francis.

This event is organised as part of Slow Boat’s visit to Stoke-on-Trent in partnership with GRAIN Projects.

Taking place throughout April and May 2025, Slow Boat’s programme of activity involves artists and photographers, education partners and arts organisations, with a focus on engaging young people in North Staffordshire. 

Funded by Freelands Foundation until 2027, Ikon Slow Boat is a heritage narrowboat that has been converted into a ‘floating art school’, introducing young people, aged 16-21, to the rich arts and crafts heritage of the Midlands. 

Creative sessions involve different making practices including ceramics, glass, printmaking, photography, silversmithing and textile weaving. 

Led by Ikon Youth Programme (IYP), it offers a space where young people can be themselves, experimenting with the idea of an artistic identity, individually and as a collective.