A new sculpture for Stevenage Bus Interchange by Donna Reeves
Artist Donna Reeves has completed a new piece of public sculpture for Stevenage Bus Interchange - the first piece of public sculpture commissioned in the town in nearly 35 years.
Donna's sculpture celebrates the stories and lives of people in Stevenage over time - what brought them to the town, what keeps them here - inspired by this unique location where so many people's lives and journeys cross every day.
Donna's specialism is mosaic art, which has allowed her to create a sculpture absolutely brimming with images, memories and stories of people's lives in Stevenage. She has even been able to embed personal keepsakes and objects donated by members of the Stevenage community into the surface of the sculpture for posterity...a pin badge...a key...a toy car...a broken teacup...and much more!
"I have enjoyed creating this public mosaic sculpture as it reflects the ideas, stories, and personal memories of the Stevenage community, making it truly for the people.
After 30 years of working in public art, this project feels especially personal, as I see it as a way of giving back to the town that welcomed my grandpa and family from London to Hertfordshire."
- Donna Reeves, artist
Junction 7 Creatives co-commissioned the sculpture with Stevenage Borough Council, and worked closely with Donna on gathering people's stories, memories and objects to form part of the artwork. We loved having Donna round to Junction 7 to meet people, hear their stories and collect their objects...or imprint them in clay if they were too precious to part with.
Donna's sculpture forms part of the Stevenage Heart Trails - 27 miles of traffic-free footpaths to allow people to explore hidden art and heritage across Stevenage - and this sculpture is the first in a wider series of public art commissions. The Stevenage Heart Trails form part of the major Stevenage Even Better regeneration programme, which received £37.5m from the UK Government's Town Fund in March 2021.
Cllr Simon Speller, cabinet member at Stevenage Borough Council for culture, leisure and wellbeing, comments: "Our communities and pioneers have helped to create the Stevenage we know and love today, and this is reflected in this sculpture.
"The memories and stories shared, and items embedded in the artwork, represent many pieces of history for the community to own and be proud of.
"Public art helps to shape our public spaces and this, and the commissions to follow, celebrate the heritage of the town and the people who built it."
Junction 7 Creatives are thrilled to have worked with Donna Reeves on this unique and beautiful sculpture, and are so grateful to her and to everyone who contributed to this very special piece of new public art in Stevenage.
Artwork photographs by James Marshall www.spokestories.co.uk