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Consett Heart – Heritage and Arts Centre are proud to be hosting another exhibition of art in our gallery over the summer. Opening on the 27th July and ending on 31st August. We are also delighted to be offering the very first Sheila Mackie Memorial Award for Artistic Merit which carries with it a cash reward and donated by Magpie Training. We would be amiss not to mention more an this fabulous artist
Sheila Mackie. Born in Chester le street, moved to what was to become her spiritual home, Shotley Bridge in 1965. Sheila is considered to be one of the most influential and renowned wildlife artists of the late 20th century. With several pictures in the royal collection, house of Lords and other prestigious private collections, Sheila took much of her inspiration from the Derwent Valley. Many people in Derwentside remember her as the feisty art teacher at Consett Grammar School, and later Blackfyne comprehensive. Most who came under her wing remember with affection the strange bespectacled little dynamo with giant personality. Loved,or indeed loathed, she influenced and inspired so many people to reach further than they thought they could. To this day her enduring artwork reflects the majesty and magic of this unique area we are lucky to call home. In her later years Sheila moved to The Spa Grounds, and this is where her most prolific and powerful art was created. Sheila was captivated by the beauty of this uncorrupted place. It led her to create illustrations for her version of Beowulf, and how ironic that a film of the same is was then made here in Derwentside. Sheila’s spirit lives on at the Spa, amongst the trees, the flora and fauna, and perhaps, just perhaps we may see her there in fairy form.
The Sheila Mackie Memorial Award will be given to the artist that has shown achievement as yet unrecognised. We have over 26 artist showing their pieces and we have been overwhelmed at the standards of work that has been submitted. It is going to be an awe inspiring exhibition which we urge you to visit. We started our Art Gallery Exhibitions about 14 months ago and they have become a very popular event. Over the course of the first 4 events we saw over 1200 people attend, something we are very proud of. We believe this shows a true need for these events to continue and that Consett Heart has a great future ahead.
The Consett Heart is a fully voluntary CIC who are dedicated to furthering the knowledge and preservation of our heritage, but also to stimulate and increase creativity within our area and further afield. We have an amazing library of both local heritage and art as well as archives featuring local ephemera, maps, literature and photographs. Further more we have also been donated a large number of local artists works to display including the likes of Mary Kipling. Consett Heart is a continuous work in progress as everything we are doing is from money we raise or small grants that we have procured. We are also so proud of the work we have done and the achievements we have made so far. With your help we can continue to grow and deliver more amazing events, workshops and educational experiences.
Consett Heart are also looking for volunteers to help us run and organise the Centre, so if you would be interested please get in touch. Volunteering could be just a couple of hours a week, helping procure grants and finance, donating your skills as an artist, teacher, your knowledge or even just helping keep the place in good shape. Painting within the building is an almost bimonthly event. We can promise a friendly environment, lots of great chat and lots and lots of challenges as well as fun.
We have lots more events coming up this year. For more information look out for the posters appearing around town and in the front of Consett Heart. We can also be found via our website – www.consettheart.co.uk and via our Facebook and Instagram pages. Our email is info@consettheart.co.uk
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