With the announcement of the Cultural Olympiad coming to Dorset in 2012 under the umbrella of ‘The Maritime Mix’, Artwey, a group of Weymouth and Portland artists, decided that it wished to contribute to such and exciting series of projects. Additionally, Artwey wanted to involve our local communities in the creation of a lasting legacy which would be a fitting celebration of this unique event in Dorset’s history.
To this end, textile artist Carol Cruickshank dreamt up the concept of a large wall-hanging made up of small textile portraits made by local people of their ‘heroes’, subsequently to be called ‘The Giant Wall’. These heroes would be those who were or had been part of our community and had inspired their contributor with one or more of the values of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, i.e. Friendship, Excellence, Respect, Inspiration, Determination, Courage and Equality. The quote from Isaac Newton “If I have seen further it is from standing on the shoulders of Giants” became our inspiration.
Carol and fellow artist Olivia Nurrish, with the help of other Artwey members, then set about creating the branding, participant starter packs & publicity, applied for funding and contacted local community groups, schools, centres & galleries to publicise the idea and arrange workshops. At the same time they applied for and were granted coveted ‘Inspire Mark’ status from the Cultural Olympic Authority. Finally in October 2011, the project was launched and the first workshop for ‘The Giant Wall’ was held during Artwey’s ‘Big Draw’ exhibition at Weymouth Library.
From then on throughout 2012 they took the free workshops to over 30 venues from All Saints School, Acorns Day Centre, Portland Beavers, RSPB to twenty-five Dorset Mayors. Here, participants were able to use the myriad of materials provided to draw, paint and sew wonderful portraits of their ‘Giants’ on calico squares, often with creative support from the many Artwey artists who helped on a regular basis. In addition to drawing and painting support many workshops provided tuition on techniques such as appliqué and batik from Artwey’s talented textile artists.
Meanwhile many other local people were buying their £1 starter pack directly from local galleries to work on at home, some members of Artwey held workshops in their houses for family and friends or took their services to others’ homes and sewing bees took place throughout the borough to sew the portraits on to the finished wall.
Throughout this process Artwey artists had the pleasure of working with people of all ages and abilities throughout the community, enjoying passing onnewskills, making friends and discovering and helping to celebrate our local ‘Giants’.
As the number of portraits mounted and the wallgrewit needed to be split and two homes found for it, both the Brackenberry Arts Centre on Portland and the Community Fire Station in Weymouth stepped in to offer a permanent location where the ‘Giant Wall’ could be on public view.
During this whole period a photographic record of each portrait and its creator’s reason for choosing their ‘Giant’ was being taken in order to produce this commemorative book. Together with the finished ‘Giant Wall’ it provides an historic legacy with hundreds of local people across all ages contributing their mark in celebrating our ‘Giants’ on a lasting symbol of Weymouth and Portland’s history in the unique year of 2012.
Throughout this process Artwey would like to thank it’s artists for giving up their time and expertise and to thank the following partners for their support in providing materials, promotion, publicity and installation of the ‘Giant Wall’: Synergy Housing, Dorset Community Fund, WOWZ Design and Print Ltd, Dorset Echo, Tandem Marketing, National Sailing Academy, Weymouth College, Brewer’s Quay, Jackson Gallery, Jezebels Jewels, Cove Gallery, Gallery on the Wey, Island Gallery, Art Café, Brackenberry Arts Centre and Weymouth Community Fire Station.
