Community - Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
Community Artist Call Out - Albert Street Hoardings
Rugby Borough Council are commissioning a new co-produced community artwork to be digitally printed and installed on hoardings on Albert Street, Rugby.
Responding to the theme Routes and Connections, the artwork will add a spark of colour, creativity, and local joy along the fastest walking route from Rugby Train Station into the Town Centre.
The hoardings are circa 26m long including the two side returns and 2.4m high.
The fee for the project is £6,276 for 18 days at the Artists Union England Lead Artist/Project Manager Rate of £348.66 per day.
This is inclusive of two days project planning, 6 days for prep and delivery of 3 school and 3 community consultation workshops, and 10 days to consolidate, digitise and create the final artwork. There is an additional materials budget. The artist fee also covers the intellectual property of the design plus an end of project evaluation meeting.
This artwork is a fantastic opportunity to create a new public artwork, as well as engage local communities with a versatile creative brief. Artists are encouraged to consider the history of Rugby’s railways, our local communities, and our diverse and growing borough.
We are seeking applications from artists with demonstrable experience in community-led arts practice with a preference given to artists who are either living or working in Rugby.
How to apply
Please send us a short proposal outlining a design concept and your experience including the rationale behind the design and how this will be explored in the consultation sessions (maximum 1 x A4 sheet). Please also include 1 illustration of proof of concept and 2 examples of your work.
Deadline: Friday 8th March
For any questions, and to apply, email Phoebe Hilton, Senior Learning and Engagement Officer at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, on phoebe.hilton@rugby.gov.uk
This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Community Exhibition Space
The new Community Space will create a dedicated platform to feature community arts projects by community groups, charities, schools, and our regular arts groups throughout the year. Exhibitions will be on display in 2 week slots which will be bookable and free to our communities.
Over the last year, we have displayed many community arts projects in our foyer and this new initiative pledges to grow these opportunities. Displays have included a film celebrating grassroots rugby for the bicentenary, Rugby Rotary’s Young Writer’s competition winners, the creative work of young artists who took part in our Summer Art Club, and sea creatures made out of recycled materials by local school children for our Night at Your Museum event.
The space launched on Tuesday 6th February with a display from our Mini Explorers Early Years group which runs every Tuesday in term time for children aged 2 to 5 years.
Following this, the space will feature a collaborative mosaic created by tenants at Edmondson Close Retirement housing.
If you belong to or know of a local community group who would interested in working with us or showing their creations in our Community Space please get in touch with Phoebe.Hilton@rugby.gov.uk
Rugby Collection
Rugby Collection Selected by Chris Orr RA
10 February – 8 June
All art is important, whether it is the art of children figuring out the order and meaning of their expanding worlds, or the professionals treading in the footsteps of giants at the same time as trying to do something new. Art permeates our lives, and no better example can be found than in the art of Quentin Blake. Generations of people have grown up with his witty and incisive drawings leading them through stories old and new. Thanks to Quentin the Twits will never die and we know one when we see one.
Art resonates long after its creation and after its creators had gone. Public collections that have been trawled out over time from the vast sea of art give us a glimpse into past achievements and expressions. Collections have been in progress since the dawn of art reflecting both the politics and fashions of their times. But once created they will be added to. They are part of the wealth of everybody’s history.
Nowadays some of these collections are in trouble. Both the grand affairs in major cities and the smaller local establishments are competing for funds. So, it is great to come across a collection that is in rude health here in Rugby. Not a big collection, only 241 works, but a very interesting one. Begun in 1946, like all collections it is varied ranging from the obscure to the exquisite and profound. I was honoured to be asked to make a choice.
I approached the job of selecting a show using the magpie part of my brain. First, I chose many works by old friends encountered in a career in teaching at art schools and through the Royal Academy. This is a bit like organising a fantasy dinner party with your favourite guests. Here I put Carel Weight, John Bellany, Terry Setch, David Tindle, Craigie Aitchinson, Leon Kossoff. Then there are those works that surprise and intrigue me. I love finding art that has perhaps languished in the vault’s unseen for a while. Fashion and taste change. I found a drawing by Richard Sheppard made in 1943 (the year I was born) of women working in a factory. It’s immediacy and energy hooked me. Then there are the truly breathtaking works that have their place because they are very special. In this category I put the lovely pencil drawing by Barbara Hepworth, the terrific etching by Paula Rego and the beautiful print by John Hoyland.
When I was 9 years old my mother took me to the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain), and I remember 2 paintings that lodged in my mind were The Order of the Release by John Everett Millais and a painting by Fernand Leger. I commented to my mother that I thought there were 2 types of art. —- “traditional” and “modern” and that I liked both. I put that visit down as one of the reasons I became an artist, the literal stories in the pre-Raphaelite paintings and the vigorous modernism of Leger have been strands of influence throughout my career.
When you look at this selection don’t be afraid of your own opinion. Don’t judge too quickly, let the images live in your mind for a little while. I hope that my choice will spark something positive but reject and dislike it if you like. There are as many kinds of art and artists as there are people. Seeing the real thing in a Gallery is still the very best thing, but in this fantastic new world of communication, taking an interest further is so easy. So, start googling, visit other collections, buy the books. Do some art yourself.