A Celebration of Cranes - Short Film Uploaded

A collaboration with artists, musicians, local schools, businesses and communities to celebrate five years of The Great Crane Project and the return of the crane to the Somerset Levels. 

Over 500 people joined the Celebration of Cranes event on Saturday 22 November - A Somerset Art Works creative partnership with The Great Crane Project. The Big Noise Street Band played as more than 80 school children and volunteers processed with lanterns and costumes made with artist Sarah Butterworth. A magical sight and huge thanks to everyone who took part. More info in the posts below.

SAW BLOG: No Common Crane

Stoke St Gregory Pupils, photo: Nisha Haq

We invited our resident SAW blogger Davina Jelley along to the Celebration of Cranes Illuminated Procession - read her account of the evening's celebrations
on the SAW blog.

SAW BLOG: NO COMMON CRANE: A Celebration of Cranes: Last weekend I got to witness the illuminated finale of many months hard work and the atmosphere was truly celebr...

The Great Crane Project Blog

Michael Wilson from the Great Crane Project writes about the Celebration of Cranes event in his latest blog post.

Read all about it by clicking here:
Great Crane Project Blog

More photos coming in - Crane Celebrations

 

Photography: Nisha Haq

An amazing crowd of over 500 people at the Celebration of Cranes event

Over 500 people joined the Celebration of Cranes event last Saturday - celebrating 5 years of The Great Crane Project and SAW's creative partnership throughout. The Big Noise Street Band played as 80 school children processed with lanterns and costumes singing songs about cranes that they wrote themselves. RSPB volunteers and people from across the levels joined in puppeteering huge cranes and helping in so many ways. A magical sight and huge thanks to everyone, especially Nicola and Jonathon Coate at the Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre. 

Photography: Jon England.  More pictures to follow soon...   

A Celebration of Cranes - Today! - 22 November

The weather is with us, our fantastic team of people are getting everything ready - it's going to be great!

Did you catch the BBC Somerset interview this morning at 11.50?

Twenty Crane Headdresses and Thirty-four Dragonflies

Stoke St Gregory Headdresses with lights inside

Dragonfly lanterns from North Curry - awaiting their wings!

Twenty illuminated Crane headdresses made by pupils from Stoke St Gregory Primary School with artist Sarah Butterworth now join the North Curry dragonflies at the grain store at Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre. Sarah thinks the pupils may have been channelling Mondrian in their workshop? 








Preparations are building speed for our event on 22 November - Illuminated lantern procession and celebration of 5 years of The Great Crane Project and its creative partnership with Somerset Art Works. More info in posts further down the page...

SAW BLOG: A CELEBRATION OF THE COMMON CRANE

Earlier this week SAW Blogger Davina Jelley was invited to North Curry Primary School to document the workshop being run by artist Sarah Butterworth as part of the Celebration of Cranes project.

Read all about it by clicking here.

We are Celebrating!

Join Somerset Art Works and The Great Crane Project on Saturday 22^nd November at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre in Stoke St Gregory to mark the fifth anniversary of an inspiring project that aims to reintroduce Cranes to the Somerset Levels.

North Curry School Workshops - photos: Davina Jelley

An iconic bird, the crane has been featured in art throughout the centuries and yet has been missing from our landscape for the past 400 years - until now, surely that is worthy of a celebration?

Artist Sarah Butterworth, from Emerald Ant, has been leading workshops with schools and community groups - from the organised chaos of willow, tissue and copious amounts of glue, some amazing sculptural forms have emerged. 

Pupils from Stoke St Gregory and North Curry Schools have been creatively engrossed in constructing dragonflies and headdresses, whilst Heathfield School have made some striking theatrical costumes. 
The school workshops have been supported by InspirED Somerset. 




Two large Crane sculptures  took their initial test flight under blue skies, however the clocks have now changed and the evenings are now far darker, which is just perfect, as all the sculptures require the night sky to reveal their true glowing potential as illuminated lanterns.

Throughout the five year partnership of Somerset Art Works and The Great Crane Project, diverse artistic projects have created quite a buzz amongst the many participants and the Somerset community has embraced this characterful bird back into their lives - all wishing to witness the first pair that will breed and go on to successfully raise their young.

Dioramas - Huish Academy with artist Melanie Tomlinson

Throughout the afternoon you will also be able to see work from an earlier project, artist Melanie Tomlinson and pupils from Huish Episcopi Academy created colourful dioramas depicting the Cranes that are at the centre of all these celebrations. 

The procession with illuminated lanterns, music and dancing is on Saturday 22 November at 4.30pm at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre, Stoke St Gregory.

For a procession to be truly celebratory and uplifting you need music and this is to be provided by The Big Noise Street Band and Stoke St Gregory School Band.

Admission is free and the afternoon promises many attractions for all ages to share and enjoy as the procession is part of the annual Christmas Craft & Food Fayre which runs from 2 - 5.30pm.

Hope to see you there!

Willows and Wetlands Christmas Crafts and Food Fayre

Our Celebration of Cranes Illuminated Lantern Procession takes place during the annual Christmas Crafts and Food Fayre at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre on 22 November 2 - 5.30pm

The Willows and Wetlands Centre holds
 willow craft workshops throughout the year.

A festive afternoon of shopping - a feast of locally made gifts, produce and crafts. Father Christmas will be present with his Willow Wands telling festive tales around the fire. There will also be a superb raffle, willow making, refreshments from The Lemon Tree available along with Leather studio, Photo gallery, and Craft shop. You can also join in with the Christmas Treasure Trail. The Museum will also be open, as will the Willow Shop. Raising funds throughout the afternoon for Stoke St Gregory C of E Primary School.
http://www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk/visitor-centre

A Celebration of Cranes 22 November

A Celebration of Cranes - Saturday 22 November 2014

Illuminated lantern procession at 4.30pm with spectacular crane puppets, costumes, dance and live music with the Big Noise Street Band,   

featuring students from Stoke St Gregory, North Curry and Heathfield schools.

The celebration procession is part of the annual Christmas Craft & Food Fayre 2 - 5.30pm at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre.  Free entry and attractions for all ages throughout the afternoon. 

A Somerset Artworks (SAW) and Great Crane Project collaboration - working with artists, musicians, local schools, businesses and communities to celebrate five years of The Great Crane Project.   

Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre, Stoke St Gregory, TA3 6HY – 4.30pm prompt start for the procession.  www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk

Willow, Paper and Glue - Workshops in full flow for the Celebration of Cranes Event

Work in progress - test flight!

Affixing the wings for the test flight

An enthusiastic group spent two days working with artist Sarah Butterworth to create amazing giant cranes for the Celebration of Cranes event on Saturday 22 November at the Willows and Wetlands Centre in Stoke St Gregory.

Somerset Artworks (SAW) and The Great Crane Project have collaborated on this celebratory project, working with artists, musicians, local schools and communities.

The procession starts at 4.30pm prompt at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre and is part of the annual Christmas Craft & Food Fayre running from 2 -5.30pm.  Free entry and lots of attractions for all the family throughout the afternoon.
Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre, Stoke St Gregory, TA3 6HY 

Photos: Damon Bridge

Somerset Art Weeks Willow Workshops

Sunday 28th September and Sunday 05 October - Drop in Willow Workshops at the Somerset Craft Centre, Venue 173. Make a bird from local willow, from £2, and see artist Sarah Butterworth making giant crane structures from willow and paper as part of SAW's Celebration of Cranes project with The Great Crane Project. ‪#‎artweeks14‬
11am - 4.30 pm

Avalon Marshes Centre, 

Shapwick Road, Westhay, Somerset

BA6 9TT

http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/openstudios/somerset-craft-centre-0

A Celebration of Cranes - a new project for Autumn 2014

Somerset Art Works (SAW) and The Great Crane Project are delighted to announce the appointment of artist Sarah Butterworth to lead an exciting celebratory project working with school and community groups through the Autumn of 2014.

A Celebration of Cranes marks 5 years of the Great Crane Project and SAW’s creative partnership through this period.  

Culminating in the late afternoon of Saturday 22 November at the Willows and Wetlands Centre Stoke St Gregory, there will be a procession of illuminated lanterns made by primary school children ( Stoke St Gregory and North Curry Schools), two large illuminated crane puppets made through community workshops, live music with Tim Hill and the Big Noise Street Band, children’s music (Stoke St Gregory School), plus a secondary school dance element to interact with the crane lantern procession and a short performance (Heathfield Community School).

More details will follow soon but be sure to save the date and join us to celebrate the cranes in the heart of crane country!

The Company of Cranes: Schools Crane Twinning Project!

Read all about artist Melanie Tomlinson's Twinning work with German and Somerset Schools. Follow the link for lots of fabulous pictures of the art work created by students.

The Company of Cranes: Schools Crane Twinning Project!: Freies Joachimsthaler Gymnasium in Brandenburg and Huish Episcopi School in  Somerset . Left: Pupils from Freies Joachimsthaler Gymnasiu...

The Company of Cranes Online Resources

‘The Company of Cranes’ is the work of artist Melanie Tomlinson who was commissioned by Somerset Art Works and The Great Crane Project in a project funded by Arts Council England to help raise awareness and support for the reintroduction of the Eurasian Crane to the Somerset Levels.

Melanie took the project on an artistic journey designing and making beautiful hand printed pre-cinema objects, including zoetropes, praxinoscopes and finely detailed illustrations to narrate the cranes’ journey from Brandenburg in Germany to Somerset.  

Somerset school children make crane masks

Funded by InspirED Somerset, Melanie has spent the last month delivering crane-inspired workshops in 13 Somerset schools and from this she has developed a free online Company of Cranes resource pack designed for schools, groups and families. 

The resources aim to nurture independent study and creative skills, build self-confidence and understanding of conservation and the environment. The website www.thecompanyofcranes.net includes an Interactive Map where you can upload and share your work.

“The online resources offer an exciting opportunity to learn about the Somerset cranes and surrounding wildlife, creating fun art at the same time!  Choose from a selection of carefully designed activities that are accessible to all ages and offer creative and interesting engagement for schools, community groups and families.  In fact anyone anywhere, interested in the beauty and diversity of the Somerset landscape and its flora and fauna is welcome to join in.” Melanie Tomlinson.

www.thecompanyofcranes.net

'The Company of Cranes' - Part 2 - Exhibition in Langport

Melanie Tomlinson welcomes you to the 'Company of Cranes' exhibition in Langport from 21st September to 5th October as part of the Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2013, exhibiting Crane inspired zoetropes, praxinoscopes and other artworks!  Click on link below for further details.
Somerset Art Weeks 2013 - The Company of Cranes








Keep up to date on Melanie Tomlinson's work via her project blog: http://thecompanyofcranes.blogspot.co.uk/

The Company of Cranes in Slimbridge

From June 16 - August 05 2013 acclaimed illustrator and metal-worker Melanie Tomlinson will present an exhibition of artworks commissioned by Somerset Art Works, in partnership with The Great Crane Project, to chronicle the re-introduction of the common crane to the Somerset Levels after an absence of 400 years.


‘The Company of Cranes Part One’ exhibition of artworks at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucesterhire, is the first of two exhibitions showcasing Melanie’s work. The second will be presented during the Somerset Art Weeks festival, Sept 21-October 06 2013.


Melanie’s vibrant and emotional response to the commission includes beautifully crafted hand-printed steel zoetropes, which animate her journey with the Great Crane Project team as they collected eggs in Germany ahead of their hatching and rearing in Slimbridge. Melanie’s narrative artworks also include finely detailed and colourful gouache illustrations that tell the story of her experiences spent in forest, swamps and flower meadows in Somerset and the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Brandenburg.

A screen will show images and short films of wildlife from the environments of both Somerset and Brandenburg and the creation of the artworks themselves. In addition Melanie will exhibit a series of dioramas inspired by bird species from around the world.

“Working on the Crane project has been a very moving and emotional experience,” comments Melanie. “To see Cranes in the wild in Germany and to observe the collection of eggs has put the project into a new context for me. It has also inspired exciting new artworks that I hope reflect the beauty of the project and the landscapes in Somerset and Brandenburg.

“I have made two steel zoetropes for the exhibition at Slimbridge, which I have hand-printed with my own illustrations. The illustrations are very finely detailed, highly colourful and reference my trip to Germany and also cranes in the wild. They were very challenging to make but I thoroughly enjoyed the process of constructing them. I will also be showing a series of photos and short films of the trip to Germany and my research in Somerset on a small screen.”

Alongside her own work there will also be a small display of crane-inspired zoetropes created by pupils at Ash School in Somerset during workshops run by Melanie in May 2013. Together with Somerset Film, Melanie is working to widen the project's reach by developing online resources for schools.

David Brayne RWS - Silver Water 

The exhibition will also include works by David Brayne RWS. Somerset Art Works member artist David Brayne has lived for many years within walking distance of the Somerset Levels. This flat, watery land, which echoes the wide sky and liminal expanses of his south Lincolnshire childhood, touches much of his recent work. Exhibiting a selection of prints, David exhibits regularly at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, and his work is held in the Royal Collection. See davidbrayne.wordpress.com

The Company of Cranes

Illuminated Crane - Melanie Tomlinson

Somerset Art Works (SAW) has appointed acclaimed illustrator and metal-worker Melanie Tomlinson as lead artist for our 2013 arts programme, working in partnership with The Great Crane Project, Ash Primary School and partner European schools.

Melanie will develop her own artistic response to her involvement with the The Great Crane Project, run workshops with local and European Schools and, with the support of Somerset Film, widen the project's reach by developing interactive online resources for schools.

The Company of the Cranes has its own blog where you can follow Melanie's progress as she travels to Germany collecting Crane eggs with the Great Crane Project team, delivers workshops at schools in Somerset and in Europe, observes crane hatching and rearing at Slimbridge, exhibits art work at Slimbridge Wetlands Centre 16 June – 05 August and in Langport Somerset during Somerset Art Weeks, September 21 to 6 October 2013.

thecompanyofcranes.blogspot.co.uk.

Zoetrope workshops at Ash Primary School May 2013

Flying Through Europe – Great Crane Art Project Artist Appointment

We are delighted to announce that after an overwhelming 80+ artist applications and a rigorous selection process, Somerset Art Works has appointed artist Melanie Tomlinson to work on our European project ‘Flying Through Europe’ in partnership with The Great Crane Project and Ash Primary School, funded by SAW’s successful Arts Council application.

Melanie Tomlinson - Rodrigues Starling with Cafe MarronExtinct since 1740. Part of the Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibition

Melanie Tomlinson works with illustration and metal to create vibrant and intensely detailed sculptures and three dimensional dioramas that reflect her deep love and passion for nature. She is particularly interested in the role of traditional folk narrative to explore the complex relationships between communities and the natural world.

She will be travelling to Germany to join the Crane team collecting and bringing back eggs in the Spring, and will be working closely with the project teams at SAW, The Great Crane Project, Ash School and their twinned European partner schools. As well as developing her own creative response to the project, her commission also involves running workshops with local and European Schools in both Somerset and abroad.

Melanie Tomlinson - Autumn Fieldfares

A few words from Melanie:
I am very excited to be appointed as lead artist working with Somerset Art Works and the Great Crane Project. I have a huge passion for nature and this opportunity will enable me to work closely with the project team and the wonderful Cranes themselves. Using illustration and metal to create a series of pre-cinema objects - such as zoetropes, I will be exploring the Cranes’ journey from Germany to Somerset through the moving image. The objects in motion will be filmed for online viewing. In addition to my own artistic response I am looking forward to working with pupils at schools in Somerset and Europe, exploring the beautiful Cranes through art workshops.


The finished work will be displayed at WWT Slimbridge in the Summer and during Somerset Art Weeks 2013.



With the support from Somerset Film, Melanie will be developing online elements to widen the reach of the project and increase schools' engagement both in the UK and Europe.

You can see more examples of Melanie's work at www.melanietomlinson.co.uk