Of Earth & Sky
North Lincolnshire Council
WINNER
Best Arts Project 2022
In August 2021 North Lincolnshire presented artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Of Earth and Sky,’ a large-scale visual art trail constructed from poetry written by residents. The project was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was 20-21 Visual Arts Centre‘s (20-21) first public-realm exhibition that brought together a range of partners from across the region, as part of the celebration of 20-21’s 20th anniversary.
20-21’s 20th birthday took place in May this year and the Centre was able to show The Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram, but having the opportunity to also present a second piece – Of Earth and Sky –meant more people would have the chance to engage. This outdoor exhibition allowed interaction and connection with 20-21 and their partners in a way that was COVID-resilient, and reached audiences who may have never accessed the arts previously. It inspired people to stay connected to the gallery.
Digital and physical poetry workshops were offered and open to all ages and abilities. Residents were encouraged to submit their poetry to the project via an online campaign. The resulting artwork was presented across Scunthorpe at 23 sites that formed a walkable trail, finishing at the newly regenerated Church Square outside 20-21. The trail crossed through areas of low arts engagement, broadening audiences by making the art physically accessible and challenging people to reconnect with areas of the town and stay active.
The project saw great partnerships form in the area, between the various departments of North Lincolnshire Council, including Libraries; Adult, Community and Family Learning; the Operations team (Parks, Ground and Open Space); the Active Lifestyles Team (including the Health & Wellbeing Activators involved in GP Referrals,) as well as with local schools and colleges and the North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
Residents were invited to share all types and themes of poetry, with organisers encouraging entries that explore a sense of pride, ownership or curiosity for Scunthorpe or North Lincolnshire as a whole. The poetry collected through open call and targeted workshops shaped the phrases used in the trail. 192 people overall submitted work or took part in a workshop.
20-21 provided these activities to reduce loneliness, support wellbeing and reconnect socially through the act of creating and submitting content for Of Earth and Sky. A key part of 20-21’s aims was to engage people who would not normally consider themselves poets with a series of ‘roaming’ drop-in sessions, followed up with a poetry session for beginners and English as an Additional Language students.
Visits to the gallery in August were 90% of those in 2019 and 114% in September comparatively – outdoing 20-21’s aim for 75% of the 2019 figures.
The project enabled 20-21 to develop new approaches, new partnerships, create audiences and opportunities for learning, and mark the 20-year milestone even under restrictions. It was the first multi-site exhibition in the outdoors with hybrid digital elements around Scunthorpe. The 20-21 team increased their understanding of presentation possibilities under health restrictions, strengthened pandemic working practices with communities, allowing new and alternative ways of delivering audience engagement and growing audiences for local art.
What our judges said:
Of Earth & Sky demonstrates a real connection with the community. Using trackable QR codes, created for the art trail linking back to the webpage was an excellent idea.
"I like the emphasis on taking art (poetry) physically to areas of low arts engagement, not relying exclusively on consumers coming to the art. Workshops and poetry submissions make up the public engagement part of the art. Making it outdoors with geographical spread increased connections between gallery and the town. Outdoor presentations and online engagement reached audiences in new ways. I liked the determination to combat isolation and the different groups by targeting issues of health, well-being, children, literacy, poverty, older audiences and outdoor life. A moving project.
"I absolutely loved the commitment in this project to reach people who often feel excluded or apathetic when it comes to the arts. Drawing self-expression through poetry during a time when so many felt the most isolated and vulnerable was a vital effort.
"It’s great to see Of Earth and Sky considering how art and poetry can be used to encourage people to get out and about. I’m sure we all became a little fatigued with our daily walking routes over lockdown, so finding a way to revitalise these familiar paths seems to be an excellent concept. I love the fact that the short phrases chosen draw you in and make you want to hear more, again, allowing art to be something that can be encountered accidentally instead of having to be actively sought out. It’s wonderful to see this project fusing modern technology with real, physical components.
"This project really embraced the challenge and will have brought people previously not interested in poetry, or even the arts, together as a community. It is very telling that the footfall into the Gallery was higher in September than pre-pandemic - that shows real long-term reach into people’s lives.
"I love the idea of making the land a poem. In Luton, we had bells in the pavement, and I really remember seeing teenagers jumping up and down on them and laughing. I think this sounds like it’s done similar things - a really special idea, given flight.
"Poetry is an art form many people turn to in crisis, but can feel exclusive to those who think they're ‘outside’ it. Of Earth and Sky celebrates a big birthday by involving local people creatively, making art with them, not just for them. And it does it with words writ large, curated by an important artist, in a way that's easy to see, enjoy and reflect upon. A beautiful idea, beautifully done.
"A really impressive project. I particularly like the way the organisers tried to encourage input from those perhaps unengaged with the arts and poetry by holding roaming sessions and sessions for beginners and those who do not have English as a first language. This project was creatively organised and the hard work paid off with fantastic engagement results, fostering pride in the local community and encouraging people to connect or re-connect with culture. Congratulations on your 20-year anniversary!
"A fantastic and creative way to celebrate 20 years of 20-21 Visual Arts Centre. The ways in which technology was used to support this was incredibly innovative and had the added factor of reaching those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. A massive achievement to host such an admired artist!
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