Look To The Future

This new gallery in the County Mall shopping centre commissioned five local artists to run workshops based on ecology and recycling.

Rachel’s workshop explored the impact of plastic on our environment. Strips cut from old carrier bags were used to weave colourful imagery of ocean life onto a wire cage.

Jo’s Vacant/Engaged invited participants to draw their thoughts on the future inside a replica lavatory cubicle.

Thomas invited everyone to join him in Creative Play – using toys made from old materials, which make hypnotic random patterns.

Sam’s Look to the Future workshop stressed the dangers of deforestation, giving visitors forest-derived materials – paper and charcoal – to pitch their ideas for saving the planet on a giant paper maché light bulb in exchange for a low energy bulb.

In the Art of Communication, Katie used electrical tape to make a huge computer keyboard and VDU screen.

Participants explored ideas about communication, both now and in the future, drawing with tape on the screen.

A floor canvas illustrating the effects of climate change became the subject of a time lapse animation, recording changing images and ideas as people worked on it all day.

Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust Awards

The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust aims to increase public appreciation of the arts and music. Their awards recognise educators, artists, teachers and others who use The Big Draw to extend their audience’s perception of drawing and to engage them in innovative activities. They reward organisers whose events relate to their setting, local environment or community, show a clear purpose and good results. Individual drawings may have been used to create a collective artwork, or a public display to celebrate participants’ achievements.