Residents of Oakley Vale have been involving themselves in commissioning new art to enhance their area. Responding to a call out about ‘extraordinary art’ last autumn, Oakley Vale Community Association assisted in recruiting a panel of enthusiastic local residents.
Since May 2016 the group has been working with Artistic Mentor Catherine Hemelryk from NN Contemporary Art. She has been guiding them through the process of commissioning new public art. To broaden their experiences they took a minibus trip to become inspired by sculpture in the capital. The panel got to experience art such as Gift Horse on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square and the Lullaby Factory in Great Ormond Street Hospital. Catherine also assisted the panel to write an artist brief and shortlist three artists. The artists then worked their proposal into a more developed plan.
The Community Panel’s Story So Far
HD Media CIC have been documenting the panel’s journey through a series of short videos. These videos are made by young volunteers, who are learning film skills from HD Media. Below are the different chapters of their story so far so that you can follow them on their journey!
Chapter One
Chapter One focuses on the Oakley Vale arts panel’s hopes and dreams for the new art in their estate. Here you get to meet many members of the arts panel and discover what they are hoping to see in the near future for Oakley Vale.
Chapter Two
The arts panel decided that they would like a sculpture on Oakley Vale. We then decided to take them on a trip to London so they could experience different sculptures. Chapter two includes their thoughts about their trip and the sculptures that they saw.
Chapter Three
A while back the Oakley Vale Arts Panel, along with ourselves, hosted a Big Day In focused entirely on sculpture for Oakley Vale’s upcoming arts commission. The day was a big success! Check out all of the fun the local community had in this video, as well as hearing from both the staff team and members of the Oakley Vale Arts Panel.
Chapter Four
Here is the latest instalment of the Oakley Vale arts panel’s journey and experiences. Artist Richard Janes talks about his inspiration and plans for the sculptures, providing you with a sneak peak of what to expect to see in the near future! Keep your eyes peeled when journeying through Oakley Vale!
Chapter Five
In Chapter 5 we find out more about the fabrication and finishing of the sculptures from artist Richard Janes, filmed by HD Media CIC on location at Oakley Vale and Premier Galvanising in Corby.