Celebrating Volunteers
Volunteers are the backbone of the community, often unsung people of all ages who make a big difference to the lives of others. This colourful abstract digital collage, by Sidmouth based artist Tara Greifenberg, brings together a series of individual artworks created by community members, many of them volunteers themselves.
This new artwork is the culmination of a creative portraiture project that sought to understand the diversity of volunteering and what those giving their time felt. The project was commissioned by Sid Valley Help and is also supported by the Arts Council England. Volunteers had the opportunity to be artists and learn new skills or become the artists’ model, in a series of artist led workshops for adults and young people: Plasticine-head portraits with sculptor Wilfrid Wood, Portraiture with Natasha Hayball (acrylics on canvas) and Portraiture with Kat Heueston (charcoal self-portraits).
The words and phrases in the image echo what people told us both through a survey about volunteering and during the workshops.
Sidmouth School of Art, volunteers and artist Tara Greifenberg
The process of making the new artwork and all the individual artworks through this project - aimed to encourage people to connect with their creativity, learn new skills through using a variety of mediums and to use art to share the story of Sidmouth's amazing citizens. We documented the process to give voice to and celebrate all that they do.
An exhibition of all of the portraits and sculptures created through this project took place at Dissenter from 9th to the 12th December. We were delighted to welcome artists, participants and supporters to a preview of the exhibition.
