The Artists Walk is now underway at the Park and Palace. Over 25 artists are displaying work across the site for people to discover for free.
Founder of Artists Walk, Rosha Nutt tells us about the project, how it came about initially and how it has evolved for 2021.
Artists Walk was born in 2020 during the pandemic when galleries had closed and events were cancelled. There was, however, a lot of activity on my street, as neighbours and the local community set out for their daily walks, and so the idea to connect with them through a gallery window at home was born.
I got in touch with Holly Collier, an arts marketing and PR consultant and friend and we spent a busy few months creating a website, map, Instagram account and spreading the word with artists in our local community and beyond. We also made contact with the Creative Learning team at Alexandra Palace who offered us some of the Palace windows for the project.
(Rosha, photographed by Alicia Clarke)
Artists Walk 2020 ran for a month in the winter of 2020, 145 professional artists displayed their work in their windows; printmakers, painters, sculptors, needlework artists and illustrators. Our interactive map had 8,000 hits and the project was featured in local, national and international press. We received many uplifting stories from the artists involved and quite a few made sales.
At the beginning of 2021 I heard about the Mayor of London’s Make London campaign and asked the Creative Learning team at Alexandra Palace if they would support an application. Many early mornings whilst homeschooling my two primary school aged children later the application for an outdoor, covid-safe art trail supporting local Haringey artists at Alexandra Palace was ready. Rather excitingly it was successful!
The funding meant we could support two local artists Ben Wilson, the chewing gum man, and sculptor Julia Clarke, by commissioning site specific works from them. We also created an open call for Haringey artists to enter their work to an outdoor poster show as it was important that we showed work from across the borough.
It’s been a privilege to work with so many talented artists on this project and get to know so many local creatives. In spite of all the restrictions and difficulties of the year, we’ve grown a strong local community and already other local venues are reaching out to us, so watch this space for more from Artists Walk in the future.
Highlights from the art trail include…
I love Russell Herron cardboard face drawings (photo below). You can see them on the skate park. Many people mistake them for photographs but they are carefully constructed drawings. They really make me smile and I’m saving up for an original, to remind me of this special time.
Rosha Nutt is a printmaker and painter based in Muswell Hill. She focuses on bright, bold botanical works and sells internationally. Visit her website for more information: www.RoshaNutt.com and follow her on instagram. @RoshaNutt
For more information on this year’s trail visit www.artistswalk.org. Sign up to our newsletter for more information on upcoming events and follow us on instagram to see what our artists and community is up too @ArtistsWalk