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Swanage Sea Front 2013
In 2013 we created the Community Tree Mural on Swanage Sea Front:
The Swanage Community Tree of Life is an intergenerational project where 2013 people of all ages have worked together to build a wonderful piece of community art. During the recent Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) Festival, people aged between 2 to 92 had fun painting ceramic leaves outside the PAW Fringe beach huts on Swanage sea front. These leaves have now been glazed and fired and are being hung on a great Community Tree of Life that will enliven a wall near the Swanage Tourist Information Office. The tree helps celebrate the great art community that exists in the area as well as the talents of people of all ages who have enjoyed taking part in this community effort.
“Art is for all, and the leaves on this tree show what wonderful ideas and talents are all around us. We hope everyone will enjoy this tree and go away full of happiness,” said Lizzie Induni who has led this project with local events consultant Hannah Fleming, Sunshine Ceramic owner Dawn Carvisiglia and Richard Smith, carpenter from the Boilerhouse gallery in Corfe.
We are particularly grateful to the teachers and young artists from Cambian Purbeck View School and also to Miles and Son Estate Agents who have donated funds so that this art work can celebrate the life of the late Peter Miles. Other valuable support has come from NFU Mutual, Corbens, Jewsons, Kaffee und Kuchen and Tom’s Field.
The Community Tree of Life will be unveiled by the Mayor of Swanage, Councillor Alison Patrick, at 3.00pm on Saturday 13th July. We hope many local artists and young people will join us in this celebration of how art can be fun, enliven our lives and celebrate what people of all ages can achieve together.
Community Tree
How lovely – a tree
to bind the community
Inexplicably!
A coming together
of all ages,
so many lives
at different stages.
To create a tree.
Symbol of life,
Free of strife.
Underground deep roots
feed the flowering shoots.
Here, where fossil forests
are found with dinosaurs.
Later in ships of oak
Vikings invade our shores.
So now, in time of Peace,
let us reach
out and teach
The joy of sharing
and caring
and so with each leaf
the belief
that binds our community
irrevocably.
Carlotta Barrow
Text from the Mural Opening Event Flyer
SWANAGE COMMUNITY TREE OF LIFE
Unveiling by
The Mayor of Swanage
Councillor Alison Patrick
Saturday 13th July, 2013
2.30 – 3.00pm
The Chair of the Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) Festival, Tim Arnold, said:
“The Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) Festival celebrates art in all its various forms. It is an inclusive Festival that engages young and old. It celebrates the wide range of talent that exists here in Purbeck. It mixes professional artists with young people who are having a go perhaps for the first time.
The Community Tree of Life which is being unveiled today brings together all these themes.”
The result is a vibrant lively and colourful tree where the work of young people in particular shines through. Swanage Town Council have been very supportive and we thank them and the Mayor, Councillor Alison Patrick, for their personal backing for this initiative. Indeed there have even been suggestions that next year we might together construct another set of panels – perhaps of a dinosaur coming along to try and eat some of the leaves!?
Please give us your ideas of how we can continue to enliven this area of the sea front through a celebration of art that can again involve as many as possible from across our community.
You can contact us via our website www.purbeckartweeks.co.uk
Thank you for joining us today and enjoy the art, the drink and the cake…and of course all the wonderful leaves on this glorious tree!