Grizedale Arts
Encyclopedia
Grizedale Arts is a contemporary art
s residency and commissioning agency in the central Lake District
in rural Northern England
. It conducts cultural projects
locally, nationally and internationally. Its focus under director Adam Sutherland is on emerging artists and increasing public access to the contemporary arts.
Its residency programme is financially supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. and Arts Council England
.
to further the arts within the Grizedale forest. It initially concentrated on theatre and the visual arts. In 1977 it established the Sculpture Project which was noted for its siting of environmental sculpture
s by artists including David Nash
, Robert Koenig
and Andy Goldsworthy
within the Grizedale Forest
. These sculptures are now maintained by the Forestry Commission
and are accessible to the public. In 1990 the Society was awarded the Prudential Award for the Arts. In 1999, for financial reasons, the board closed its theatre (the "Theatre in the Forest") and decided to concentrate on exploring new approaches to artistic production and exhibition.
In 2007 the organisation moved its base from Grizedale Forest to the historic hill farm of Lawson Park
, overlooking Coniston Water. Once owned by John Ruskin
- and a working farm until the 1950s - architects Sutherland Hussey were employed to transform the farmhouse and barns into an artists' residency base, opened in 2009 by Sir Nicholas Serota of Tate
. The surrounding land is being returned to productive use, and the gardens - designed by artist / film-maker Karen Guthrie - open annually under the National Garden Scheme.
s who have been involved with the Grizedale Arts programme include:
Anna Best, Jordan Baseman, David Blandy
, Simon Poulter, Marcus Coates, Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope, Olivia Plender
, Lorrice Douglas, Juneau/projects, Kerry Stewart, Emily Wardill, Graeme Roger, Rob Kesseler, Ken Russell
, Kevin Reid, Jen Lui, Tim Olden, Simon & Tom Bloor, Matt Stokes
, Nathaniel Mellors
, Bedwyr Williams
, public works, myvillages.org, Mark Wallinger
, Jeremy Deller
, Tim Olden, Olaf Breuning
, Mark Gubb, Pablo Bronstein
, Bryan & Laura Davies, Phil Collins
, Spartacus Chetwynd, Harold Offeh, Jay Yung, Dorian Moore, Guest Room & Barnaby Hosking.
Notable successes among Grizedale alumni include Jeremy Deller and Mark Wallinger winning the Turner Prize
in 2004 and 2007 respectively; Marcus Coates, Olivia Plender
, Ryan Gander, Graham Gussin, Giorgio Sadotti
and Jeremy Deller
receiving Paul Hamlyn Awards; Bedwyr Williams
was the Welsh artist in residence at the 2005 Venice Biennale
; Mark Wallinger
representing Great Britain in the 2001 Venice Biennale; Paul Rooney winning 2009's Northern Art Prize; Karen Guthrie and Nina Pope winning the Northern Art Prize in 2008.
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
s residency and commissioning agency in the central Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
in rural Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. It conducts cultural projects
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
locally, nationally and internationally. Its focus under director Adam Sutherland is on emerging artists and increasing public access to the contemporary arts.
Its residency programme is financially supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. and Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
.
History
The predecessor of Grizedale Arts, the Grizedale Society was founded in 1968 by the Forestry CommissionForestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
to further the arts within the Grizedale forest. It initially concentrated on theatre and the visual arts. In 1977 it established the Sculpture Project which was noted for its siting of environmental sculpture
Environmental sculpture
The term environmental sculpture is variously defined. A development of the art of the 20th century, environmental sculpture usually creates or alters the environment for the viewer, as opposed to presenting itself figurally or monumentally before the viewer...
s by artists including David Nash
David Nash (Artist)
David Nash, OBE RA is a British sculptor based in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Nash has worked worldwide with wood, trees and the natural environment.-Early life:...
, Robert Koenig
Robert Koenig (sculptor)
Robert Koenig is an English sculptor, who specialises in wood sculpture and is a prominent exponent of the art of woodcarving using the traditional tools of mallet and chisel.-Early life:...
and Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy, OBE is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.-Life and career:The son of F...
within the Grizedale Forest
Grizedale Forest
Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km² area of woodland in the Lake District of North West England, located to the east of Coniston Water and to the south of Hawkshead. It comprises a number of hills, small tarns and the settlements of Grizedale and Satterthwaite...
. These sculptures are now maintained by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
and are accessible to the public. In 1990 the Society was awarded the Prudential Award for the Arts. In 1999, for financial reasons, the board closed its theatre (the "Theatre in the Forest") and decided to concentrate on exploring new approaches to artistic production and exhibition.
In 2007 the organisation moved its base from Grizedale Forest to the historic hill farm of Lawson Park
Lawson Park
Lawson Park is a remote English Lake District hillfarm, leased by Grizedale Arts from the Forestry Commission. It is situated opposite the village of Coniston overlooking Coniston Water....
, overlooking Coniston Water. Once owned by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
- and a working farm until the 1950s - architects Sutherland Hussey were employed to transform the farmhouse and barns into an artists' residency base, opened in 2009 by Sir Nicholas Serota of Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
. The surrounding land is being returned to productive use, and the gardens - designed by artist / film-maker Karen Guthrie - open annually under the National Garden Scheme.
Recent projects
Grizedale Arts' collaborative projects have included:- Gralsbaby D'Annunzioz(2009)
- Happy Stacking (2008)
- Agrifashionista (2008)
- Creative Egremont - A Public Art Strategy for EgremontEgremont, CumbriaEgremont is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen. The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, was historically within Cumberland and has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and...
.http://www.creative-egremont.org/ (2006-8) - Seven Samurai (2006) within the Japanese Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial. Also shown at the Gallery Lucy MackintoshLucy mackintoshThe Lucy Mackintosh gallery is a commercial contemporary art space located in Lausanne, Switzerland, that exhibits Swiss and international contemporary art and artists. The gallery also regularly invites designers to present their work.-History:...
(2007)http://www.lucymackintosh.ch/archives.php?id=36 - Romantic Detachment (2004) at the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art CenterP.S. 1 Contemporary Art CenterMoMA PS1 is one of the largest and oldest institutions in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. It is located in the Long Island City neighborhood of New York City...
in New York - The Festival of Lying (2000)
Artists
ArtistArtist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s who have been involved with the Grizedale Arts programme include:
Anna Best, Jordan Baseman, David Blandy
David Blandy
David Blandy is a British artist. He was educated at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. His most recent exhibition is "Represent", a two-person show with Swedish artist Saskia Holmkvist at Gasworks, London...
, Simon Poulter, Marcus Coates, Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope, Olivia Plender
Olivia Plender
Olivia Plender is an artist based in Berlin.Plender was born in London. Her work comprises video installations, performances, text, as well as drawings and printed matter...
, Lorrice Douglas, Juneau/projects, Kerry Stewart, Emily Wardill, Graeme Roger, Rob Kesseler, Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
, Kevin Reid, Jen Lui, Tim Olden, Simon & Tom Bloor, Matt Stokes
Matt Stokes
For the Australian rules footballer Matt Stokes see Matthew StokesMatt Stokes, born 1973 in Penzance, is an artist and film-maker. He had a residency at Grizedale Arts in 2002 during which he researched the history of rave culture in the Lake District...
, Nathaniel Mellors
Nathaniel Mellors
Nathaniel Mellors is a British artist and musician.-Life and work:He studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Art....
, Bedwyr Williams
Bedwyr Williams
Bedwyr Williams is a Welsh artist. His work combines installation and stand-up comedy.He studied at St Martins School of Art and Ateliers, Arnhem....
, public works, myvillages.org, Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger is a British artist, best known for his sculpture for the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, Ecce Homo , and State Britain , a recreation at Tate Britain of Brian Haw's protest display outside parliament. He won the Turner Prize in 2007...
, Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. He is a Turner Prize winner.Deller is best-known for his Battle of Orgreave , a reenactment of the actual Battle of Orgreave which occurred during the UK miners' strike in 1984.-Life and work:Jeremy Deller was born in London,...
, Tim Olden, Olaf Breuning
Olaf Breuning
- Works :*Home 1/Home 2 --30 minute video starring Brian Kerstetter. Home 1 is presented as a double-projection, where the main character can no longer distinguish the difference between reality and fiction. He wanders around a hotel room telling stories about himself and other people to the...
, Mark Gubb, Pablo Bronstein
Pablo Bronstein
Pablo Bronstein is an artist based in London. He attended Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, at the University of the Arts London, theSlade School of Fine Art, UCL, and graduated from Goldsmiths College of Art....
, Bryan & Laura Davies, Phil Collins
Phil Collins (artist)
-Life and work:Phil Collins was born in Runcorn, England and now lives in Berlin He studied Drama and English at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1994. During his time there he worked as a cloak-room boy and pint-puller at the Hacienda nightclub on Whitworth Street...
, Spartacus Chetwynd, Harold Offeh, Jay Yung, Dorian Moore, Guest Room & Barnaby Hosking.
Notable successes among Grizedale alumni include Jeremy Deller and Mark Wallinger winning the Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
in 2004 and 2007 respectively; Marcus Coates, Olivia Plender
Olivia Plender
Olivia Plender is an artist based in Berlin.Plender was born in London. Her work comprises video installations, performances, text, as well as drawings and printed matter...
, Ryan Gander, Graham Gussin, Giorgio Sadotti
Giorgio Sadotti
Giorgio Sadotti UK is a conceptual artist based in London.In the 1993 he exhibited at City Racing with Gavin Brown, and in 1996 participated in a group show in Vienna curated by Muntean and Rosenblum on behalf of City Racing...
and Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. He is a Turner Prize winner.Deller is best-known for his Battle of Orgreave , a reenactment of the actual Battle of Orgreave which occurred during the UK miners' strike in 1984.-Life and work:Jeremy Deller was born in London,...
receiving Paul Hamlyn Awards; Bedwyr Williams
Bedwyr Williams
Bedwyr Williams is a Welsh artist. His work combines installation and stand-up comedy.He studied at St Martins School of Art and Ateliers, Arnhem....
was the Welsh artist in residence at the 2005 Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
; Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger is a British artist, best known for his sculpture for the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, Ecce Homo , and State Britain , a recreation at Tate Britain of Brian Haw's protest display outside parliament. He won the Turner Prize in 2007...
representing Great Britain in the 2001 Venice Biennale; Paul Rooney winning 2009's Northern Art Prize; Karen Guthrie and Nina Pope winning the Northern Art Prize in 2008.
External links
- Grizedale Arts Official site
- Lawson Park, Grizedale Arts' hill farm
- We Are Seven: Artist Commune Project
- Toadball.TV: Television Project