Art Gyms Autumn Term – Meet The Guardian
This autumn, Art Gyms is doing something a little different.
We’re bringing The Guardian back to Cleator Moor - an extraordinary piece of community art created in 2012.
Made from honest, everyday materials, The Guardian is housed inside a beautiful specially designed English oak cabinet. Open the doors and you’ll discover a beautiful metal and fibre-feathered pigeon, surrounded by more than a hundred personal curiosities and keepsakes contributed by local people.
The Guardian watches over them all, protecting the dreams and aspirations of the community. And now it’s time for a new generation of young people to take their turn.
Throughout the autumn term, our Art Gymers will explore The Guardian and think about what it means to them. What do you like about it? How does it make you feel? What would your own Guardian look like?
Then they’ll get to work creating their own 3D Guardians, using materials of their choice and experimenting with different ways to build, construct and bring their ideas to life. Each Art Gymer will also add a curiosity of their own - something personal, interesting or meaningful to add to the collection.
At the end of the term, something very special will happen - our first Art Gym exhibition.
We’ll open the doors to The Guardian and invite the local community to come and see the original work alongside a new generation of Guardians and curiosities created by our Art Gymers.
It’s a chance to discover the story behind this fascinating piece of Cleator Moor’s creative history - and to see how young people today have reimagined it in their own way.
We’re thrilled to be bringing The Guardian home and giving our Art Gymers the opportunity to become part of its story.
“The most exquisite piece of art that I have ever seen resulting from a public engagement project.”
External Evaluator 2012
The Guardian was created in 2012 by Janice, alongside artists Helen Morgan and Becky Moody from Howgill Family Centre, in collaboration with Robyn Woolston, winner of the Liverpool Art Prize, and Jai Redman of Manchester-based Ultimate Holding Company.