Firstsite s The Great Big Art Exhibition invites the UK public to get creative
Running until the end of April, the UK is encouraged to draw, sculpt and paint to themes set fortnightly by artists such as Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Jeremy Deller, David Shrigley and Ai Weiwei.
Words
With more time on our hands now is a perfect time to get creative, something that The Great Big Art Exhibition – launched on 28 January – aims to inspire. People across the UK are invited to take part in a collaborative exhibition that sees the nation encouraged to draw, sculpt, paint and build their own piece of art and to stick up on their window, or any part of their house for that matter. Running until April 2021, a selection of renowned artists are set to choose a different theme each fortnight. First, it’s Antony Gormley who’s opened the show with a theme of animals. Sonia Boyce is following with a theme of portraits, while other artists include Etel Adnan and Simone Fattal, Anish Kapoor,
First published on Thu 28 Jan 2021 08.01 EST
Some of British art’s biggest names, including Antony Gormley, Sonia Boyce and Anish Kapoor, are encouraging Britons to turn their front windows into a gallery as part of a nationwide initiative to create a “magical patchwork of creativity”.
The Great Big Art Exhibition was launched on Thursday by Gormley, who is the first artist to choose a theme for people at home to be inspired by as they create work to contribute to what organisers are calling the nation’s largest ever exhibition.
Gormley chose the theme of animals for participants to riff on, and people are encouraged to make their artworks out of what they have at hand. The results – be they paintings, sculptures or something less traditional – are to be placed on a front porch, balcony or window.
Museums want to create the UK’s “largest ever art exhibition” – taking place in people’s front windows.
The National Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland are asking people to make artwork “to counter the gloom of the pandemic”.
The opening theme, chosen by Sir Antony Gormley, the British sculptor famous for the Angel Of The North, will be animals.
Artworks – drawn, painted, sculpted, built or created with other materials – can be put up on front windows, front doors, balconies or gardens.
Artwork depicting animals, created by Iggy and Romey, is displayed in a window in Acton, west London, to launch The Great Big Art Exhibition (David Parry/PA)
People across country to display artwork in their front windows
The theme for the first week is animals
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People across the country are being invited to create artwork at home and display it in their front windows.
Museums want to create the UK’s “largest ever art exhibition” – taking place in people’s front windows.
Published:
1:27 PM January 28, 2021
The first theme of the initiative is animals, a suggestion by Sir Anthony Gormley
- Credit: David Parry/PA
A Colchester arts venue has launched what could be the country s largest ever art exhibition as it encourages people to display their creative designs in their front windows.
Visual arts organisation Firstsite has created The Great Big Art Exhibition in conjunction with museums and galleries throughout the country.
The scheme is urging people to create artwork - such as drawings, paintings or sculptures - to counter the gloom of the pandemic and showcase their designs on their streets.