Community Art

A page describing some of the projects I’ve done in the community, such as:

FREE ACTIVITIES FOR YOU – I am going to be adding some free activities and suggestions for you, click here to find them.

Festival of Light – each year, I get involved with Erewash Borough Council’s “Festival of Light”.  A series of events starting in September for Harvest Moon, and going through to Chinese New Year, where public events are hosted around the borough to celebrate important dates in different cultures.  A team of artists work with schools and community groups to create lanterns, light sculptures and many more beautiful objects, and each event culminates in an event such as the Winter Solstice walk in Victoria Park, the Chinese New Year lantern parade up to the Market Place.  I’ve worked with local schools making lanterns, a light labyrinth and way markers.

Friends of Kirk Hallam Lakeside  – each July, the Friends hold a Sunday afternoon festival by the lake, which free to the community.  They invite different groups to hold information stalls, etc, as well as provide activities for visitors.  I am usually there, known as the “lantern lady” and it’s been lovely to see families come back year on year to make a new piece of colourful art – not just the children, the adults like to have a go too!

International Celebrations – this was s series of workshops across several Ilkeston schools, working with the children creating sandcasts – we made gifts for other schools, wall plaques as classroom markers, curriculum based imagery, and school mission statements for permanent display in the schools.  Great fun, sand, plaster, water and young children, what could possibly go wrong?

The Metal Ages – this was a project working with Gavin Darby of Frailoop, where we looked at the history of Stanton and other ironworks in the area, talking ex-workers, and people of Ilkeston who remember when the iron and steelworks factory were still active, gathered stories and memories.  We also ran workshops with schools and communities, which inspired a series of artworks and two permanent public sculptures,  You can find out more on the dedicated page, here.