Shropshire artists given chance to contribute to Save the Children labyrinth
Artists across Shropshire are being offered a chance to help design part of a lasting memorial to two Ellesmere sisters who founded the international aid charity Save the Children.
A free art workshop will be held at The Qube in Oswestry on February 18 to give people an opportunity to find out about the project, exchange ideas and learn new skills.
The focus of the arts cafe event will be the creation of a labyrinth alongside the mere in Ellesmere, close to the home of Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton, who launched the charity in 1919 to help children left starving in Germany and Austria at the end of the First World War.
Called Overlapping Borders, the workshop will be led by artists Liz Turner and Keith Ashford from the Shrewsbury-based Sculpturelogic partnership which has been chosen to develop the labyrinth.
All materials will be provided at the workshop and refreshments will be available, including a chance to sample some Syrian food.
Alexa Pugh, arts development officer at Shropshire Council, said: "This is a great opportunity for people to get involved in the design of a new piece of public art for Ellesmere and to learn about the work of a local project that has used art to share important messages."
Interactive
The interactive labyrinth will represent the perilous journeys taken by child refugees trying to find shelter and safety after being forced to flee their homes in war-torn countries.
It will form part of a landmark art installation commissioned by the Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative, which has received grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England for an 18-month programme of activities.
English, Rohinja and Kurdish scripts and words will be explored during the workshop and these will be used to communicate the terrifying experiences and suffering of children displaced by conflict.
The finished artworks will be photographed and used in working out the final design for the winding pathway in Ellesmere’s Cremorne Gardens.
Preparatory work is already underway on two sculptures which will be placed alongside the labyrinth, one depicting a child seeking shelter, and an abstract creation symbolising the two inspirational sisters.
The project is due for completion in the spring.
The workshop takes place from 6.30pm yo 8.30pm.To book a free place, contact Alexa on 01743 257731 or e-mail alexa.pugh@shropshire.gov.uk
