Ignite Imaginations Spreading positivity through art installations
Creative charity aims to capture turbulent year through the community-led Art in the Heart project.
Artist Lois Conlan with her artwork, The Fir Vale Beehive.
As we find ourselves at the end of a second national Covid-19 lockdown, Sheffield-based community organisation Ignite Imaginations is bringing a much-needed smile to local faces with a series of immersive art experiences dotted across the city.
Entitled Art in the Heart, the project aims to capture the array of feelings and personal experiences that people are faced with in these uncertain and often unsettling times.
Ignite Imaginations artists Angela Hardwick, Liz Von Graevenitz, Kate Sully and Lois Conlan have spent time collecting anecdotes and listening to residents in Sharrow, Darnall and Fir Vale. Residents' words are being transformed into depictions of joy and positivity, portraying the strength of our community coming together, even when we are apart.
Liz Von Graevenitz with her piece, Metamorphosis.
The four installations will include a ceramic cog installation, a huge mural, two abstract paintings and an eye-catching collection of wooden beehives, bees and flowers, placed in the chosen communities.
Alongside the artwork, 200 creativity packs will be distributed to people in those communities, including resources to help them create and enjoy art at home.
Luisa Golob, CEO of Ignite Imaginations, said: "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."
Established in 2003 by local artists, Ignite Imaginations works to boost creative activity and local regeneration by increasing access to high-quality creative activities.
