Above: Header image, 'Women of Steel', Sheffield public art photographed by Maciej Lubomski
Volunteer inductions underway for Sheffield Public Artwork Recording project
Volunteers have been inducted onto our Sheffield Public Artwork Recording project which is running in partnership with Sheffield Visual Arts Group over the summer.
Sheffield Visual Arts Group collaboration
Wessex Archaeology has collaborated with project partners Sheffield Visual Arts Group and Sheffield residents to create new data exploring how Sheffield artworks are perceived and valued amongst local people.
Above: Volunteer inductions in Sheffield gave our participants an insight into the project
Sheffielders mapping Sheffield
Participants have begun recording Sheffield artworks and their condition by filling in a survey on public artwork in their local area. In doing so, they are making a unique contribution to their city’s heritage to support the creation of a public artwork map which will be available on this website and that of our project partners. It is hoped that the resource will in turn encourage future generations to preserve Sheffield’s valuable public art.
Above: Group discussions will form a key part of the Sheffield Public Artwork recording project
Connecting with local heritage
Our key aim is to connect people with the local heritage that surrounds them by creating an accessible way of recording and learning about public artwork. The project also aims to offer an updated record of Sheffield’s public artworks and their condition for their future protection. Production of an updated record will enhance future Community Engagement projects with further uses of the project map being identified by the participants who have invested in it. Mapping Sheffield’s public artworks will help sustain the conversation on the meaning of the city’s artworks and engage new audiences in this debate. Project participants will also learn the skills to personally advocate for their heritage and establish future conservation work.
We look forward to updating you on the project throughout the summer and celebrating the project’s legacies
Above: Wessex Archaeology project co-ordinators Natasha Bramall, Community Engagement Co –ordinator, and Isobel Curwen, Historic Environment Consultant
Natasha Bramall, Community Engagement Coordinator says:
‘I’m excited to see how the people of Sheffield respond to this initiative. Public artwork is too often something that’s in the background and isn’t fully appreciated, but this programme aims to place it centre stage. I’m hopeful that the project will encourage lots of people to seek out and take a close look at the incredible heritage that surrounds us.’
Isobel Curwen, Historic Environment Consultant and one of our project coordinators, added:
‘It was great to meet so many people from all walks of life and to see what a range of skills and interests they could bring to the project. I am looking forward to seeing the results in the coming months!’
Our partners at Sheffield Visual Arts Group added:
‘Sheffield Visual Arts Group are delighted to have reached the launch of this exciting project. What was a plan and a hope to create a lasting picture of public art in Sheffield has become a reality under the expert leadership of Natasha Bramall at Wessex Archaeology. We look forward to working together with Natasha and volunteers to make the list of Sheffield artworks a meaningful reality.’
Volunteers on the Sheffield Public Artwork recording project have already been giving us their feedback:
'Attending the induction sessions as a member of Sheffield Visual Arts Group, I was so pleased to meet volunteers who were keen to take the project on and make it their own. I'm looking forward to seeing the map of public artworks grow into a resource to make Sheffield proud.'
Jude Haslam, Sheffield Public Artwork recording project volunteer added:
I am finding the Sheffield Public Artwork Recording project very stimulatingly and am excited to be one of the team. I am involved in other Volunteering schemes such as at Sheffield Botanical Gardens but this one absolutely suits my interests and background in Art.
