2012 is now my third year coordinating the Grassington Festival visual arts programme (which is called ‘Art and About’). I can honestly say there has never been a dull moment. I joined the team at Grassington Festival in 2009 as artist in residence. We built mazes, had loads of fun working with both kids and adults, and got right involved alongside the committee, who really welcomed us into the fold.
I instantly fell in love with Grassington village. Everyone is so welcoming and the whole community gets involved in helping out with the festival, from the local schools and community groups to all the people who pop in to the office for a cup of tea and a chat or to find out the festival gossip. (Beware to these visitors – many of those before you have now ended up volunteering for us!)
Art and About: The Visual Arts Programme at Grassington Festival
The festival has been running for over 30 years now, and always had a reputation for bringing renowned artists and musicians to what is normally a very tranquil part of North Yorkshire. But in 2006, the festival team decided that the festival also needed a whole load of fun, free and playful arts events for adults and kids of all ages and abilities. And hence ‘Art and About’ was born.
As well as fun events for visitors and locals, Art and About also offers professional development opportunities for the artistic community. These include drop in family events, workshops, carnival, dance, craft workshops, getting families and friends out and about, experiencing the landscape and the festival events together. In 2010, we attempted the world record for the longest continuous piece of bunting. Thanks to the many members of the public who helped with the cutting and sewing! You can have a giggle at a video of this by clicking here. In 2011 we organised an outdoor trail linked to Britain in Bloom, with a ‘wheelbarrow decorating’ contest judged by a celebrity gardener.
The theme for Art and About 2012 theme is ‘tracks and trails’, which inspired by the main Grassington Festival programme’s 2012 theme, ‘movement’.
The 2012 outdoor art trail will be created by artists and inspired by the picture lending collection at Leeds Art Gallery. There are many inspiring artworks by Picasso, Hockney, Matisse, Ackoyd, Blake and we are very lucky to be able to work closely with the artworks between March and June for this project. As well as the artist responses, which will be dotted ‘art and about’ around Grassington during the festival period, we will also be exhibiting the original artworks in the village during the Festival, which will form and indoor and outdoor trail.
Grassington Festival 2012 ‘Art and About’ Project:
in collaboration with Leeds Art Gallery’s picture lending collection
This month, we have launched an exciting new project in collaboration with Leeds Art Gallery. The project gives artists and poets an opportunity to create new and exciting work in response to the art gallery’s picture lending collection.
As many of the best ideas do, this project idea began with a conversation. Kate Beard (the new Grassington Festival Director) and I were huddled up in the freezing festival office this winter, dreaming up new ideas for Art and About. We’d heard the picture lending collection mentioned and thought it was too good to be true. Leeds Art Gallery has a huge collection of artworks in storage – due to space restrictions in the gallery itself – so it offers them out on a ‘rental’ basis for a very small fee. I contacted Leeds Art Gallery, to enquire about using some of the pieces for a project with Grassington Festival, and the Arts and About project was born.
We have since been busy developing ideas in collaboration with Ted Wilkins, Assistant Curator at Leeds Art Gallery.
Left : December – Me and Helen Peyton at the Grassington Festival office, selecting pictures from the Leeds Art Gallery picture lending collection for the art trail project.
Right: January Picture Selection Day at Leeds Art Gallery. Our pictures nicely packaged up in these fetching bags!
For more information about this project, please go to the Art and About page of the Grassington Festival website.
Artists who are interested in getting involved in the picture lending collection project, please have a look at the website.
The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 2nd March.
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