Sheffield arts charity, Ignite Imaginations, have been working with four local communities to translate their thoughts, feelings and experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic into four striking art installations.
The project, named 'Art at the Heart', has been created by four Ignite Imaginations artists, Angela Hardwick, Liz von Graevenitz, Kate Sully and Lois Conlan. Each artist worked within their community to create an art installation, taking inspiration from the stories people have shared with them.
The four installations include a ceramic cog installation in Darnall, a huge mural in Sharrow, two abstract paintings displayed in Jordanthorpe and an eye-catching collection of wooden beehives, bees and flowers in Fir Vale.
You can find each of them at these map links:
Metamorphosis, by Liz von Graevenitz
The Fir Vale Beehive, by Lois Conlan
Nexus and Connections by Kate Sully
Alongside the pieces of artwork, Ignite Imaginations delivered 200 creativity packs to people in those communities. The contents of which was carefully curated by each professional artist and included resources to create and enjoy art at home.
Ignite Imaginations CEO, Luisa Golob said “What stands out for me, is that the artists have drawn their inspiration from the thoughts and feelings of the community, this has been a truly collaborative process. What’s more, the impact of this project in challenging times reaches far beyond the creation of the installations, the project has connected people, offered a sense of purpose and provides a legacy for the city living through these unprecedented times.”
Artist Lois enjoyed working alongside pupils at Earl Marshall Youth Club to design and create decorative bees for her installation. Lead Coordinator of ‘Step Out’ at Earl Marshall Youth Club, Mark Finnegan said: “The workshops were great, students engaged. They were very interested, they wanted to know about what they were doing and why. They wanted to do their best. It’s nice to be able to do something like this and nice for them when it’s done to be able to see their work out there.”
This project, supported using public funding by the National Lottery Through Arts Council England, embraces everything that Ignite Imaginations stands for in celebrating and connecting communities through art and creativity and these pieces create a lasting legacy for the city. For more information visit: www.igniteimaginations.org.uk