North Lincolnshire Council has been shortlisted in the National Campaign for the Arts’ prestigious Hearts for the Arts Awards 2022, which celebrates the positive impact of creative arts and the local authorities that champion them.
In August 2021, the council presented artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Of Earth and Sky’, which saw words penned by local people appear in a visually striking art trail across Scunthorpe.
Now the project, which was commissioned as part of 20-21 Visual Arts Centre’s 20th anniversary celebrations, has been recognised nationally, beating stiff competition across the UK to be shortlisted in the Best Arts Project category.
This year’s winners will now be selected by a star-studded panel of key arts industry experts and practitioners, including:
- Andy Dawson, Inspire Youth Arts, winner of the 2021 HFTA award for Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker
- Krishnan Guru-Murthy, journalist and presenter of Channel 4 News
- Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, author, speaker and supporter of music education
- Shaparak Khorsandi, stand up comedian, writer, all round delight
- Anna Lapwood, organist, conductor and broadcaster
- Deborah Meaden, businesswoman and TV Dragon
- Jack Thorne, screenwriter and playwright
- Samuel West, actor and director, NCA Trustee
Discussing North Lincolnshire’s nomination, the Hearts for the Arts Award partners said:
“A really impressive project. We particularly like the way the organisers tried to encourage input from those perhaps unengaged with the arts and poetry by holding roaming sessions and sessions for beginners and those who do not have English as a first language.
“This project was creatively organised and the hard work paid off with fantastic engagement results, fostering pride in the local community and encouraging people to connect or re-connect with culture. Congratulations on your 20-year anniversary!”
North Lincolnshire Council has been shortlisted in the Hearts for the Arts Awards 2022
Welcoming the shortlisting, Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“To receive this national recognition is a fantastic achievement and a real tribute to the talented writers across North Lincolnshire that contributed to the Of Earth and Sky project.
“Seeing both local people and visitors alike come to Scunthorpe to explore the trail and re-discover the brilliant locations on our doorstep in a new light was wonderful to see.
“Over the past 20 years, the team at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre have brought the work of some incredible artists to North Lincolnshire, including Antony Gormley, Grayson Perry and, in the past year alone, acclaimed exhibitions like Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon and Jason Wilsher-Mills’ Jason and his Argonauts.
“As well as displaying amazing art, they are also constantly searching for creative ways to make it accessible, inspiring the local community to get involved and discover a new passion.
“Congratulations to everyone involved and here’s to the next 20 years of culture in North Lincolnshire!”
Visitors still have lots of opportunities to join the gallery’s anniversary celebrations.
An extra-special Open Art and Sculpture exhibition will launch on 29 January 2022, showcasing the wealth of creative talent in North Lincolnshire.
As well as this, visitors can also enjoy the fascinating ’35 Years On’. In this show, photographer Nic Salmon presents a series of portraits of individuals in Scunthorpe separated by time.
Having initially photographed them for a street art project in 1984, he returned to snap the same subjects in 2021, the photographs a remarkable testament of changing fashions, hairstyles and sub- cultures.
To stay up to date with all the exhibitions and news from 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, visit their website.
The winners of the Hearts for the Arts Awards 2022 will be announced on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2022.
For more information on the shortlisted nominees visit the For the Arts website.
Of Earth and Sky was supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. In addition to the sculpture trail the funding of £48,830 enabled new digital commissions to take place exploring wellbeing and involving our local communities. Find out more about them and take part on the 2021 Visual Arts Centre website.
Photograph shows Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council and Cllr John Davison, cabinet member for safer, stronger communities: urban, pictured with Ann Liles, author of the ‘Dreaming with the Ancestors’ poem, displayed outside North Lincolnshire Museum
