The Sheffield Visual Arts Group gratefully acknowledge the generous grant from the J G Graves Charitable Trust towards our printing costs for the Heritage Open Days.

Looking back on the annual Heritage Fair at the Millennium Galleries. we appear to have been quite busy; when I enquired how many visitors had visited the fair, i was told a figure of 864 at around 3pm on the Saturday, i.e. with another hour to go. We've a pile of photographs of prominent sculptures and graffiti which have proved challenging to passers-by. (If anyone needs to know, the War Memorial with the soldier statue on top is in Totley). The figure for the Sunday was about 500, so the event can be called a success.

The stroll booklet has been attracting a fair bit of interest and several people have left donations after picking it up.

We've also had people expressing interest in joining us. It's always good to see extra pairs of hands.

Sunday was quieter. This lower figure can be explained by the event starting later, as well as the weather being wet. There seemed to be a lot of puddles when I went for the tram after the event had closed.

One feature this year was having a rolling slide show illustrating the various groups taking part. The image above shows one of the SVAG images on the screen, though it must be said that from our stand we only saw these when we had a wander round. I did spot one image for another group.

During the course of the event we were approached by a member of the public who informed us of a rare Edward VIII postbox. This was something new to us and a photographer was duly despatched to take a photo.

Our next meetings will be on 5th June and 3rd July, starting at 10-30 am. Contact our chairman Andrew for details of the location: sheffvisartschair@gmail .We are always happy to welcome new potential members.

Welcome

to the website of the Sheffield Visual Arts Group, a campaigning group to promote and celebrate Sheffield’s outstanding contribution to the regional and national artscene.

The City of Sheffield owns an internationally recognised collection of  paintings, prints and sculptures, as well as a huge array of other treasures, some on show in the Graves Gallery. However, most items are currently in storage and we want to promote access to this collection. In addition, across the city there are thriving art galleries and studios reflecting Sheffield’s huge wealth of creative talent. Recently it was said that  Sheffield is also home to more than 2,000 cultural and creative businesses, providing around 9,000 jobs.

Our group wants the economic and cultural importance of Sheffield’s extraordinary art to be reflected in local and national policymaking.  And ultimately for Sheffield to have the pioneering cultural centre for the arts which it deserves.

Sheffield Visual Arts Group and

Sheffield’s Cultural Strategy

Sheffield Visual Arts Group (SVAG) welcomed the city’s public consultation on a cultural strategy and having the opportunity to contribute. Ideally, we would like to see the following in any strategy adopted.

N.B.We have added examples of what SVAG has been working on to illustrate our group's activties in raising awareness of the significance of the visual arts.

Vision, aligned locally, regionally and nationally.
SVAG would like a coherent, joined up, ambitious yet realistic strategy to be adopted. SVAG has always pushed for a city arts and culture strategy which would afford a sense of direction for future developments. We recognise culture and the arts can attract inward investment and tourism and feel that  new initiatives should fit alongside existing city, regional and national planned projects and strategies.

Ideally we would like a cultural hub/arts centre to be the physical embodiment of the strategy. This would additionally maximise use of a large art archive the contents of which are currently not sufficiently seen.

Attention to civic pride and local identity.
Any strategy should be rooted in what Sheffielders value and want to celebrate - in what makes the city special and differentiates it from other cities.

SVAG came into being  in 2011 when there was a danger of the city losing the J. G. Graves building and it has subsequently encouraged wider ownership of cultural heritage through a variety of initiatives e.g. workshops, study days, working with schools and local artists.

We have recently, together with our partner, Wessex Archaeology and using generous local volunteers, recorded and mapped public art works in the city. We have also celebrated the city's ephemeral Street Art . We have organised public art trails and workshops in collaboration with Sheffield Museums and Art Galleries, Wessex Archaeology and enthusiastic members of the public.
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Public Participation
SVAG hopes that the Culture Strategy adopted by S.C.C. will be a “People's Strategy” and involve the public at every opportunity. Not just during consultation but in review, evaluation etc.. Participation is crucial to a sense of ownership.
The Culture Strategy needs to be seen alongside equality and transport policies if the issues of access and the participation gap are to be addressed.

Part of SVAG’s aim has been the promotion of arts and culture for all in order to enhance wellbeing, inclusivity, diversity, and community cohesion. We have worked collaboratively with diverse organisations towards this end and network with grass roots individuals and groups, for example,  Ignite Imaginations, U3A, Sheffield Printmakers, J.U.H.S. and Family Choice.
We have begun to raise public awareness of SVAG and its work in relation to a culture strategy through talks to local community groups, our online newsletters and general networking.

Recognising that arts and culture funding is but one claim on stretched council budgets, SVAG continues to engage with and support SCC through meetings with officers and councillors and the CEO of Sheffield Museums and Galleries. 
                  
Future Planning
SVAG would like to see a Culture Strategy which realistically looks forward, enabling a positive, vibrant environment for practitioners and public alike. The resource implications of future projects should be clear and transparent.The proposed Culture Strategy should be seen in conjunction with the Heritage Strategy, Transport, Equality and other strategies and form part of a unified, holistic and visionary approach to the future development of Sheffield.

As a group we are particularly interested in: the use and development of publicly owned space and buildings; the commissioning of new work; ticketing policies and  improving access to more, affordable, performance and exhibition space. The future of the Graves Gallery building is a major concern and we welcome the planned feasibility study, the results of which should be shared with the public.

SVAG hopes that its collaborative work with Wessex Archaeology and other agencies will continue and that future study days will help to keep alive the debate around all these issues.

SVAG looks forward to the evolution of a new culture of collaboration and transparency in this sector  in Sheffield where all stakeholders feel valued and included in strategy development and implementation.
        

Read Our Aims to see why we set up our group, and what we do.  

Our presence at Heritage Events

See what the City is up to

Keeping An Eye on The Wider Context

Have a look at our Monthly Art Musings for some personal takes on art

around Sheffield and beyond.

Past Musings, Study Days and Consultations

Visit our Gallery to see artworks we’ve enjoyed around Sheffield and beyond.

If you would like to join us, want to Contact Us, or simply receive our Newsletter, please email sheffvisarts@gmail.com  We’d love to hear from you.

THE PENALTY OF OUR PARADOX - is a short black and white film put out by the Site Gallery, Sheffield, for Historic England in 2021 as part of their Future of the High Street initiative. To the words of an original poem by local poet Otis Mensah, the film explores the high street from the perspective of young people and their experiences in public spaces. It also poses questions at a time when these communal spaces have been hit the hardest and when it is possible for change to be at the centre of our discussion.

Click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wivrtuK4BXg