After an initial research visit in April 2006, Grizedale are developing a project for the village of Nanling, Guangdong province, China with Vitamin Creative Space. Vitamin invited us over to see the village which is being re-invented as an eco tourist destination by a young developer.
The village has hosted a number of traditional ‘engaged’ European artists, but these have so far been seen as relatively unsuccessful. Grizedale were invited to look at the situation with a view to applying a new approach.
At the end of April 2008 GA spends a month on the project with artists Bryan & Laura Davies, Guestroom, Jay Yung and Harold Offeh.
See the project website for details.
Building on the 2006 artist projects for the village of Toge in Japan, this commercial gallery exhibition showcased work from all our projects and sold works by artists and villagers. Money was raised for Toge, Grizedale and Egremont, the exhibition presenting a wide cultural range of material without hierarchy - where each work is a part of the process of a larger story.
Grizedale Arts was invited in 2006 to develop a public art strategy for the remote West Cumbrian town of Egremont.
As part of the town’s regeneration strategy, we established projects which employ and promote local creativity (e.g the annual "gurning" contest, pictured here), rather than importing cultural activity. This means primarily looking to the folk culture of the town and expanding on it, but also looking at how artists can enhance the existing culture and generate activity and enterprise in the town.
Though our involvement in the project is winding down over 2008 we are still involved with projects such as a RIBA competition for a performance pavilion in Egremont Castle and Jeremy Deller & Alan Kane's 'Greasy Pole' sculpture.
See Creative Egremont's website for more details.
In the summer of 2006, as part of a substantial art triennial (and essentially regeneration) project in rural Japan, we sent seven artists to the rice farming village of Toge. The idea was to challenge the typical triennial culture and its cultural hirearchy as well as provoking thought in relation to regeneration initiatives. The seven artists attempted to assist the villagers in their negociation of change using art projects to encourage people to take control of their own and their communities futures. The Seven Samurai reflected upon the original Kurosawa film, where one transitional culture (samurai) is asked to help another (farming village). The artists worked on the land alongside the village hosts and developed projects with the village which would enable them to adapt to change and benefit the village financially and socially. In each case the projects demanded decision making from the village, these decisions were pertinent to what and who would decide in what direction the village would develop, agriculture, tourism, craft industry etc.
As with all Grizedale projects, this is designed to be a long term relationship, with some of the Toge farmers coming to visit Lawson Park farm in spring 2007 to develop agriculture and food projects.
Arts Council England is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The art in your hand series is part of the celebrations and began with a partnership with Sainsbury's to put art on reusable carrier bags.
The travelcard wallets are the next part. The Arts Council has commissioned ten artists from a range of arts forms to create artwork on travelcard wallets, including Tracey Emin, Jeanette Winterson, Adam Sutherland and Ty. These wallets are being distributed in cities and towns all over the country - in train and bus stations and shopping centres.
The wallets bring art into our daily lives. In creating them, the artists considered how people use travel wallets - as an everyday part of life, but with the potential to be interesting, provocative and even beautiful.
Some of the wallets tackle current issues from identity, environmentalism to rural affairs. Others offer an invitation to enjoy a personal art experience, or write our own story.
The wallets are also being used to increase involvement in the arts debate - Arts Council England's first-ever public value inquiry. Let us known how you value the arts and what you think about public funding by taking part in the arts debate.
Read Adam's thoughts on the matter.
To receive a FREE wallet just email us with your address.
New Grizedale - Sutherland Hussey Architects collaborate with Grizedale and artists in the generation of the new farm and residency base - where idealism and vision meet reality and have a picnic.