Crane Art at Slimbridge Wetland Centre

On Wednesday 15 June Beccy and Carol from SAW travelled to Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire to exhibit the fantastic crane inspired art work created by Somerset school and community groups.

Interest from the local residents

Paper mache work by Huish Episcopi Academy students

Delicate suspended wire work by primary schools

Cranes greeting visitors as they enter the centre

Slimbridge is where the crane eggs are hatched and baby cranes reared before being taken to Somerset for release on the Somerset Levels.  We wanted to build on this Slimbridge - Somerset link and take the opportunity to show the artwork in the beautiful foyer space and in the grounds of the centre.

The exhibition runs 15 June - 04 August 2011 http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/slimbridge
The work will also be shown at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset during Somerset Art Weeks http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/node/6606

Great Crane Art Project - Short Film on You Tube

SAW has been busy editing a short film documenting our crane inspired art workshops, it's now on You Tube and is 5 minutes long.  Take a look!  Click arrow to play or follow the link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/websitesaw#p/u/3/Jlo-rC39bVg

Thanks to all the volunteers who took part in this project.

Papier Mache Sculptures at Huish Academy

Guided by artist, Hilda Vaughan, beautiful bird sculptures began to emerge from garden wire and paper pulp.  

  

The Great Cranes were inspiration for the project but the sculptures evolved in many different forms as each student explored their own creative interpretation.  

Damon Bridge, Great Crane Project Manager, calls in 

The young people worked with great focus and achieved some fantastic results. Intergenerational volunteers came along to the workshops, working with the students and enriching the experience.

These sculptures, along with the other artwork created through this project (painted decoys, wire work etc) will be displayed at Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in Gloucestershire in the early Summer and in Somerset Art Weeks Sept/Oct 2011.
Keep an eye on this blog for details nearer the time - come and see the work!

 

Some stunning finished pieces

Huish Episcopi Academy - Great Crane Art Workshops

Hilda Vaughan initially got involved in the Great Crane Project as a volunteer - until we discovered her wealth of artistic talent!  Hilda has now been engaged by Somerset Art Works (SAW) to deliver a series of Great Crane inspired art workshops for Year 8 pupils at Huish Episcopi Academy.

The first session involved an introduction to the Great Crane Project and visit to Greylake Nature Reserve to learn about the importance of the Somerset Levels habitat.  Students took sketchbooks and collected images and ideas for future workshops.


Over the next few weeks the 14 students - aged 12 and 13 - will be designing and creating papier mache crane inspired sculptures.  These will be exhibited in Somerset Art Weeks 2011 together with all the other art work created through the Great Crane Art Project.


These are some images from the intro session at the school.

The session started with an introduction to the wider Great Crane Project

Hilda brought examples of crane sculptures to show the students

Second Community Workshop - Art in Nature - Sat 13 November 2010

Our second community workshop at the West Sedgemoor RSPB Reserve provided participants with an exciting opportunity to not only see the cranes feeding, but also flying, quite a sight!  After a morning session out on the reserve the afternoon was spent creating crane-inspired artwork under the guidance artist Kitty Hillier. 

Kitty gave instructions about mixing paint colours and creating a variety of tones.  No black paint was provided so dark colours had to be mixed using available colours.  This created some beautiful effects and it was amazing to see the colours of the landscape and  'mood' of the open moor and expanses of sky reflected in the art work.

These images are from the 13 November workshop (see previous posts for images from 25 October).  Look out for an exciting installation of the life-size painted crane cut-outs in Somerset Art Weeks Autumn 2011.

Damon Bridge introducing the Great Crane Project

Beautiful landscape inspired art work

Talking about the art work is an important aspect of the workshop

Cranes propped up against the wall to dry

Art in Nature - Community Workshops

Held at the West Sedgemoor RSPB Reserve, just outside Curry Rivel, these workshops were an opportunity for local people to join the Great Crane Project and discover the wonders of cranes. We started by exploring the wetland habitat via trailer ride and short walk in the morning and then spent the afternoon creating crane-inspired artwork under the guidance of a professional local artist Kitty Hillier.

On 25th October we were lucky enough to see the cranes from the hide - an unexpected and rare treat!

The following pictures are images from the 25th October workshop.  The life-size painted crane cut-outs will be used as part of an outdoor installation for Somerset Art Weeks Autumn 2011.

All aboard the trailer for an exploration of the wetland habitat

Walk led by Amy, one of the crane 'mums'

In the hide 

We couldn't believe how lucky we were to actually see the cranes feeding nearby

Back to the barn, we fixed bamboo legs to the crane cut-outs and began to paint

Artist Kitty Hillier guided the process, encouraging everyone to use their own

 creative ideas to mix paint colours and design their own crane

It was cold in the barn but everyone worked with great concentration

Amy and Roland have been busy rearing and nurturing the young cranes,
here they are getting involved in the art workshop