Easing gently out of ‘lockdown’, we are reminded of all the places and experiences we have been missing out on, as more local businesses tentatively open up their doors to the public again. Our wonderful independent shops and coffee stops will have safety restrictions in place, but they will be bringing colour and life back to the centre of Beeston.
Whilst our parks and wildlife have never been so appreciated, many of our indoor pursuits have been curtailed, like nipping down to The Crown for a pint or two after work a Friday, browsing Oxfam’s bookshelves and meeting friends for a catch up over a cuppa with homemade cake. The simple pleasures we may have once taken for granted might still feel like a distant memory, but there have still been many things to enjoy in this period of uncertainty.
We are really lucky to have such an abundance of natural beauty in close proximity to our homes, and it is this that has inspired many of our resident artists. In the first ‘lockdown’ edition, I wrote about the power of creating to help us cope with crisis situations. In this one, I am going to remind you of the importance of art on our well-being, not only as a creative process used to explore our emotions and help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression, but as something to be absorbed by us as spectators.
The philosopher Alain de Botton would argue that certain great works of art can indeed help us to manage the ‘tensions and confusions of everyday life.’ In his self-help book named Art as Therapy, he demonstrates how art can both ‘guide and console us.’ Now whilst we might not be able to wander around galleries and pop up exhibition at the moment, Beeston does boast a rather large selection of creative talent – plus we have some large scale street art to admire.
The first weekend in June should have seen the return of one of Beeston’s most popular summer events, and celebration of our local artists, The ABC Art Trail. This annual event, that is now in its 9th year, inevitably can’t take place in 2020. Nevertheless, since planning was already well established at the start of the year, it seemed fitting to dedicate this edition to this wonderful community event and take a peek at what artistic delights they had lined up for us this year.
Earlier in the year, we announced a competition that the organisers were running, which was open to primary school children in the Attenborough, Beeston and Chilwell area. The theme was ‘Where I Live’ and unsurprisingly there was a great response. Lynda Child chair of ABCAT sent us this update to share.
‘Many thanks for all the wonderful entries we received from local schools at the beginning of the year. We were going to judge these at Easter and announce winners and prizes then. We were so looking forward to displaying the winning entries throughout our Art Trail on June 6th and 7th.
‘Unfortunately, due to the COVID 19 Government guidelines, we were not able to get together to do the judging and our trail had to be cancelled.
‘It is with great regret that the Committee must, therefore, announce a delay in announcing winners. We intend to judge entries when conditions allow a gathering of members. We will make announcements in schools and on our website in due course.
‘Once again thank you for all your entries. Take care everyone.’
I am sure you will join me in commiserating with ABCAT, and many others who have been placed in a similar situation on having to cancel the highlight of their creative calendar this year. Furthermore, I am sure you would love to join us in appreciating a small selection of the participating artist’s work, which we have collated for your enjoyment. Art is still being made and available to purchase via websites and by contacting artists directly. I asked the artists featured in this collection, what creating in ‘lockdown’ has felt like?
The struggle to be creative has been echoed in a few of the artists’ comments and some of them found they had something of an artistic switch, for a while at least. Lynda is well known for her printmaking, however, this generally requires sustained focus and Lynda didn’t feel as though she could manage that at first. Instead, she turned to a past project that she could ‘pick up and put down,’ the bold Lockdown Log Cabin Quilt shown in the gallery section.
Another one of the established artists Zoe Zegzula tells us, ‘When the COVID 19 Lockdown came into place in March, it had a surreal effect on me. As if I was in a nightmare that was unfolding that was not going to end. My creative ideas and thoughts were severely dampened and put on hold. I did not feel at all in the right place to use the surprising gift of more time to be creative.’
She went on to create the exotic piece entitled Toucan, which was kick-started by a commission for brooch at the end of April. This has led to a change in direction for Zoe, prompted by the opportunity to work with such a, ‘colourful subject’ using a range of the textiles design techniques she is renowned for. This piece can also be seen in the gallery of work some of the artists have submitted to us to include in this edition and on the website, along with the rest of the maker’s work.
The great spiritual writer Thomas Merton claims, ‘art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.’ So go on, immerse yourselves in this stunning collection for a little while and discover what resonates with you.
Visit the ABC Art website here
View their Facebook page here
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