ROTW Community Art Projects 2010

ROTW Artists in Residence

In 2010 ROTW Community Arts Team invited artist from all over Herts & Beds to submit proposals to create work at the festival. 4 Practicing Artists were chosen to create ‘an artwork’ on site during the festival!

• Hazel Godfrey Willow Artist constructed a giant ROTW Dancing Man from willow.

• Cathy Smale completed a painting recording a weekend at ROTW. The painting has since been sold and has prior to that been hanging in Jolly Brown’s in Hitchin town centre. This was the work in progress.

• Lauren Clemmet produced a tryptych painting called ’Leaving Lines’.
The large scale work was based on a map of Hitchin and visitors to the festival were asked their name and where they lived. The name and date were then painted on the road where they lived on the map.

• Kimi Summer built and painted with the help of lots of children a sturdy caterpillar made from interlocking wood which when it finally dried provided a great climbing toy for the younger children.The adult butterfly was made from five pieces of interlocking wood. The wings were collaged with magazines pieces.

All this work and much more will be exhibited at The Hitchin Museum Gallery in June this year. Look out for the publicity so you don’t miss the exhibition!

Other Contributors

• Hitchin Girls School pupils exhibited recycled work – creative work with discarded containers. These were festooned on the tree in the arts village and on the arena fences to add to the colour and movement of the festival.

• The Caldecote After School Club at Highbury infants decorated the cutout wooden letters ROTW. These were displayed at the back of the ROTW site on the top of the hill.

• ROTW Diorama’ loosely based on Henri Rouseau and his jungle pictures provided the perfect starting point for the children and adults of the festival to use their artistic skills and imagination to build an amazingly colourful picture of the jungle. All that was needed was scrap cardboard, paint, imagination, enthusiasm, and collaboration that came together to create a scene for all to admire. Come and help us next year when we are creating underwater magic!!

• Hitchin Boys’ School created life-size, wicker people to lounge under the oak tree enjoying the music and the shade.

• The Fence Banners and Aboriginal arch paintings from previous years decorated the site, displaying all the hard work that everybody has undertaken to make the festival a success each year. These were created by schools and after school and holiday clubs in Hitchin, Letchworth and Knebworth.

Please can we take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to the community arts projects - I think you must agree that it makes the whole site more lively, interesting and colourful!

This year the community arts team want to involve many more schools and local groups to create art that can contribute to the festival.We would like more help and ideas both before and at the festival.

If you would be interested in facilitating a project please don’t hesitate just contact Rosie on 01462 435316.