Chesterfield School Children Help to Create New Piece of Public Art
Chesterfield School Children Help to Create New Piece of Public Art
Children from Bramley Vale Primary School in Chesterfield have been working with artist Rob Neith-Nicholson to help create a new piece of public art, which will be unveiled this spring.
Junction Arts commissioned the piece for Avant Homes, to celebrate the new Earl’s Park housing development in Holmewood. The brief for the artwork is to work with the local community to create a locally distinctive and visually engaging artwork that will instil a sense of connection and pride in the area.
Rob Neith-Nicholson from Neith Art & Sculpture has been working with a group of students from years one to six to learn about the mining heritage of the area and how nature has reclaimed the former pits, reflecting on this to create poetry and sculptures that will inspire the final piece.
The engagement sessions saw the children venture outside and explore their local surroundings, foraging for natural materials to use in their artworks. They then recycled used cardboard to make sculptures that contained references to the area’s heritage and natural environment.
Jenny Etchells from Bramley Vale Primary School said: “Thank you so much for giving Bramley Vale pupils the opportunity to take part in such an interesting project. The children gained a lot from trying something new creatively. The children enjoyed the sessions; some of them even said they were planning to make another relief sculpture at home!”
Rob Neith Nicholson said: “It’s been a pleasure working with the children at Bramley Vale. We designed the sessions not only so that they could be a vital part of our design process for the final piece, making the work a real part of the community, but also so that they themselves gained great value from being involved. I think the sessions were a great success on both counts”
Junction Arts Project Coordinator, Nathan Hamer said: “Public art is important because it’s accessible to everyone, you don’t have to visit a gallery or museum to enjoy it – it’s simply there. We were delighted to be part of this project, bringing a professional artist together with the community to create a meaningful piece of art that we hope will give a sense of belonging to new residents and be enjoyed by many generations to come.”
The artwork will be a functional wooden sculpture that celebrates local history, whilst looking to the future, incorporating themes of nature to represent hope. It will be positioned at the entrance of the housing estate development this spring.
Kim Neith Thompson and Rob Neith Nicholson, are the creative minds behind Neith Art & Sculpture, they predominantly create large-scale wooden sculptures and like to highlight social and environmental issues in their work. They are committed to sustainability and embrace the natural world in their creations. Their past work includes projects for the National Trust, English Heritage and the BBC.
Earl’s Park is a new Avant Homes development in the village of Holmewood, featuring three, four and five-bedroom homes for sale.