Art in the Local Community
**
Stevenage
and
surrounding villages
2020
***
Credit: The Comet Newspaper
The Covid 19 Snake
Stevenage children demonstrate their artistic community spirit by creating
Covid the Cobra bought smiles to the faces of children and adults alike during lockdown, with people contributing more than 150 painted stones........
Messages of hope
found
around Stevenage
*****
Arc of Hope
Woolenwick Infants School
Stevenage
“Be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Maya Angelou
An idea from the children at Woolenwick Infant and Nursery School, Arc of Hope is a symbol of hope, of standing
together as a community, circumventing isolation. Woolenwick Infant and Nursery School co-ordinated the project.
Headteacher, Usha Dhorajiwala commented,
“Everyone appreciates a positive message in these difficult times. Arc of Hope has been a fantastic way of bringing
the community together and giving everyone who sees it a reason to smile.”
The installation responds to the huge community spirit which has emerged during the lockdown, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and the message of hope that Rainbows for the NHS has brought to the whole country.
Inclusion Leader, Christina Anderson explained,
“Individual children created rainbow pictures which we posted to the NHS. The keyworker children designed chalk
rainbows on the playground to share on social media. The children realised that the chalk would wash away and
wanted something more permanent. At the same time, they were missing their friends and we talked about taking photographs.”
The digital rainbow is compiled of selfies of families from the community, dressed, draped or painted in one of the
colours of the rainbow. This is surrounded by images of rainbows, created in support of all keyworkers.
This collaborative project involved 39 schools, as well as community groups and friends of the schools, all credited
in the border.
Arc of Hope has been submitted to the Royal Academy for the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2020. There has also
been interest in displaying the installation in the public domain in Stevenage. More details as they emerge.
We are looking into the possibility of gifting a permanent board of the image to the NHS at Lister Hospital.
Woolenwick Infant and Nursery School are taking orders for a professional printed, high resolution copy of the
design on Foamex. To order, please email:
admin@woolenwickinfants.herts.sch.uk for further details.
