East | Artists taking the lead

Shortlisted:

Wysing Arts Centre

In response to the ecological crisis of declining honeybee populations, Wysing Arts Centre proposes to invite artists of all disciplines to take the lead in setting up beehives on spare pieces of land across the East of England. Artists would inspire the wider community to get involved through, among other things, working with schools, community groups and others to plant bee-friendly flowers and plants to support the bee population, which is in rapid decline in the region. Aligned closely to Wysing's experience of collective ways of working, group hives would also be established in order to create a support structure for the project. A dedicated website will be developed to plot locations of the hives to encourage people to get involved and create an accessible and visible network of these new beehives across the region. The work adds to a growing movement within the visual arts, that began in the late 1960s, in which artists seek to address issues that face society as a whole, most recently seen in the exhibition 'Radical Nature' at the Barbican Art Gallery in London.

"I think this is an incredibly exciting idea. The honeybee is under serious threat with huge implications for our agrculture. The more hives the better! But I also think there is immense artistic potential here. Bees have inspired artists and writers down the centuries from Virgil to Sylvia Plath. They have been used as metaphors for human industry and the hierarchy of the state. I would love to see what modern artists make of the idea." Martha Kearney BBC presenter (Who Killed the Honeybee, The World At One, Newsnight Review)

Live Art Collective East

Live Art Collective East (LACE), a collective of ten Live Artists, propose to create a worldwide, interactive game of Hopscotch on a potentially huge scale, a humorous take on the relationships between creative and sporting endeavour. The hopscotch grid will be designed through workshops run by artists in local communities and schools and will be suitable for all ages and abilities. LACE wants the interactive grid to extend over the East of England's six counties, encouraging new artists and new routes of travel, through possibly uncharted territory, leaving a creative legacy of Art and Sport grids. The hopscotch intervention will also form part of a wider Live Art broadcasting initiative providing a birdís eye view of the trail shot by helicopter, sports-style commentary by local sport personalities,smaller live artworks, and sports-style post-performance analysis.

Cheryl Frances-Hoad and The Prince Consort

Cheryl France-Hoad and Alisdair Hogarth, Artists taking the lead, East region.. Matthew Andrews. Matthew Andrews 2009.

Leading UK ensemble The Prince Consort, directed by Alisdair Hogarth, proposes to collaborate with critically acclaimed composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad to create a new song-cycle for the East. Texts and songs will be commissioned from renowned writers and musicians connected to the region, and the work will form the core of a wider cross-artform project. Specific locations such as a cathedral or a housing estate will inspire the texts which Frances-Hoad will set to music, and the creative team will host workshops in schools and other venues to search for ideas from those who know the area best. The Prince Consort will later perform the song-cycle at these places, and its creative legacy will include a CD/DVD recording, a book of the music, photography and poetry. The project is already attracting high-profile creative champions, and will exploit broadcast and online platforms to ensure the song cycle can reach worldwide audiences.

Nancy J Clemance

Nancy J. Clemance proposes Hutliving. Twelve commissions will be allocated by open application and by invitation to artists from a wide range of disciplines to make creative responses to shepherd huts across the region. These historic dwellings, some around 100 years old, are currently in varied states of repair, with some now completely renovated and others in the process of being brought back to their former glory. The specific location and history of each hut will inspire the shape of the artistic commissions which may focus on songs, poetry, dance, sound or visual art.
Six of these commissions will make up the static exhibitions during 2011 and six will form the touring exhibition programme housed by a shepherd's hut during 2012.
During 2010 a publication containing information about all the commissions and their outreach projects, a potted shepherd's hut history, an arts activity plus maps relating to the static exhibitions, the touring exhibitions and a route for ramblers will be produced.

The panel was excited by the vision and ambition for ‘On Landguard Point', particularly the involvement of international artists, engagement with the region, and the skills development programme for young people.

Anthony Roberts

Director of Colchester Arts Centre in the heart of Essex. Antony graduated from Bristol University in 1982 with a degree in English and Drama. He started his career in the arts at The Old Bull Arts Centre in London

Matthew Linley

a freelance arts manager. Former director of Phoenix Arts, Leicester he recently produced a tour for Croatian live artists BADco. He is currently working with Jammy Voo Theatre Company, the hub, the Bloody brits project, the BBC and EM Media

Simon Woolham

a visual artist who has shown internationally including Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the USA. He has worked extensively in the public realm. He is based at Wysing Arts Centre, Bourn and is represented by Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art.

Jason Yarde

Composer, Producer, Arranger and Musician working across vast areas of music, commissioners include Bembe Segue, Britten Sinfonia, LSO, BBC CO, and Phoenix Dance. He is a Civitella Ranieri fellow and was a performer at the Atlanta 1996 Cultural Olympiad.

Steph Hogger

Creative Programmer for London 2012, East of England (maternity cover).
Steph has worked at The Sage Gateshead, Arts Council England East, and in local government. She runs a community theatre company, teaches aerobics and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in 2003.

Rachel Drury

Head of Resource Development at Arts Council England East and 2012 lead. Rachel has been Head of Resource Development for over three years. She has led on Lottery programmes, corporate planning, and major initiatives focused on arts led regeneration and partnership development with a view to increasing resources for the arts.