What was the Year of the Artist

A. The Year of the Artist� was a national project which started in June 2000 and ran through to May 2001. The purpose of the year was to take art in England out of seemingly elitist venues such as museums, galleries and concert halls, and into football grounds, on to public transport, into supermarkets, banks and the workplace, getting people who would not normally dream of entering the hallowed halls of the Muses in touch with real art.

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Q. Who paid for it
A. Lottery money to the tune of �4 million was administered by the Arts Council of England. There were also many sponsors, including regional arts boards, various media organisations and - just so the multi-nationals didn't feel left out - Coca-Cola.

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Q. So what happened during the year
A. Projects ranged from theatre companies performing in service stations to dustcarts displaying art on their rounds and a 40ft willow structure, The Willow Man, being planted at the side of the M5 motorway. Two of the most unusual projects happened in places never usually in danger of being associated with (fine) art forms: Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead and the ground of Peterborough United Football Club.

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Q. A shipyard
A. For two days a week artist Patricia MacKinnon-Day worked alongside the shipbuilders - but while they were constructing bits of ships, she was constructing contemporary artworks inspired by the industry going on around her. She was with the company for the whole year, and her creations included art based on technical drawings, photographs of brightly-coloured flowers planted in disused crane rails and representations of parts of ships made out of salt.

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Q. And was the year a success
A. Since the scheme began in June 2000, organisers claim that they have broken down social and class barriers by encouraging a dialogue between the artists and those around whom their work is being created and displayed.

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Q. But what about the willow man
A. There has been tragedy as well as success. The Willow Man by Serena de la Hey, was recently burnt down in an arson attack. Also known as The Angel of The South, echoing�Antony Gromley's Angel of the North at Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, the sculpture towered 40 feet above the M5 at Bridgwater in Somerset. It was made of locally grown willow and was the largest of its kind in the country.

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If you want to know more about the projects go to
http://www.yearoftheartist.com

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For more Arts & Literature click here

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By Simon Smith