Foston Hall Mural
Each year we can apply for a grant of £250 from the Arts Society to give to a local recipient. This year we chose The Friends of Foston Hall, who support Foston Hall Women’s Prison at Sudbury, Derbyshire. They were funding a project where a local artist from Wirksworth was working with the prisoners to produce a series of murals to enhance their visitor centre. The work, on the theme of the seasons, was completed this autumn.
Bryan Harris Bursary 2024
The winner of the 2024 Bryan Harris Bursary at Joseph Wright College is Shameela Mirza, from Derby. She was one of four talented students shortlisted for the annual £400 award. The Arts Society Derby judges Vikki Fitt (Young Arts Representative), Patrick Green and Rachel Shelley were unanimous in selecting Shameela as the recipient of the prize; her final project was inspired by a visit to Pakistan, where she was surprised by the contrast between her life in Britain and the culture and way of life in Pakistan. Shameela is going on to study illustration at Birmingham City University in September.
As well as enjoying the work of all four students, the judges were impressed by the maturity and insight that they showed in talking about the development of their art during the course, and their ambitions for the future.
Bryan Harris Bursary 2023
Members of Arts Society Derby judged entries from five students at the Joseph Wright post-16 Academic and Arts College after they were shortlisted for the annual Bryan Harris Bursary award – named in honour of the Society’s founder and former chairman who died eight years ago.
The winner of the £400 bursary was Art Foundation Diploma student Amy Higginbottom Cooper (19), who chose the theme of ‘Sonder’ for her final project. Sonder is the realisation that each random stranger that we encounter is living a life as vivid and complex as our own. The wall-mounted artwork not only has many creative illustrations incorporating different styles of art, but is also interactive. All the QR codes can be scanned, so that the featured stories can be read, giving the reader a real insight into the people’s lives.
Amy, a former student at Derby Moor, plans to spend the bursary on an etching press for making prints to support her Fine Art degree studies at the Falmouth University this September.
After receiving the award, Amy said: “I am so happy to win the award, it is so good to get this type of recognition. I hope to refine my large skill set and figure out what medium suits me and my future. A big dream of mine would be to see my work in multiple exhibitions, as I enjoy making larger instalment of work, sometimes being interactive too, and therefore getting it in the public eye would be a huge goal for me.
“Sonder is a subject I have always been interested in, walking through my life seeing and hearing snippets of passing strangers and wondering what that tells me about them and their story. I hoped to highlight how important it is for us humans to acknowledge and appreciate one another in depth, as we are all so different but in similar ways; and perhaps encourage a level of interest in these strangers we pass everyday with such little regard.”
Vikki Fitt, Young Arts representative at Arts Society Derby, said: “We have awarded a bursary every year for over 20 years to Derby College students to support them in their University studies. The standard was again outstanding this year and we particularly loved the thought and care, and the variety of styles, that have gone into Amy’s work, which has made the piece incredibly empathetic and thought provoking.”
Tracey Ramsdale, Teacher of Art and Design, added “All five contributions for the bursary were excellent, but Amy’s unique and detailed artwork was singled out for the award. Well done, Amy. I am always incredibly proud of all the students who put so much hard work into their pieces, and it is lovely that at our Summer Exhibition they get the opportunity to show them off to friends, family and the public.”
Allenton Primary School Art Project
In January and February 2024 we carried out a six-week project in Allenton Community Primary School in Derby. This was led by Dave Taylor, assisted by Vikki Fitt and Laura Taylor, and involved working with a diverse group of ten Year 6 pupils, selected by their teachers as being those children who would benefit most from the experience.
The children were introduced to the theme of landscape painting, first by learning about famous artists and their different techniques, and then by learning to use watercolours and acrylics to create their own paintings in both media. The end results were shared with the whole school community in a special reward assembly, and the paintings were exhibited in the school library. The children clearly felt a great feeling of pride in their achievements.
Many thanks to Dave Taylor for all his hard work and expert input.
Trails of Discovery
As part of its commitment to widen opportunities to enjoy the arts, the national Arts Society supports member societies to create Trails of Discovery. Each of these provides guidance around a local building or place of worship, and explains the art, architecture, local history and culture that it features. Some Trails are designed for children, or for older people with memory loss and their carers. For more information about this initiative, with examples of Trails created by member societies from all around the country, click here.
The Arts Society Derby has created a Trail for Children that guides visitors around St James Church in Shardlow using a question sheet for children to fill in from their own observations and an answer sheet for accompanying adults. Click below to download these if you would like to use them during a visit to the church to learn more about its history, its artistic and architectural features, and the history of the village.
