Big Draw Big Fun Big Success … Coventry Cathedral

This is the first of many news stories, reports, anecdotes and publicity announcements about The Big Draw and Creative Competition at Coventry Cathedral this year. These and many other ‘creative’ events are just part of the activities surrounding the celebrations of the Cathedral’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Last year’s Big Draw was great fun and all who took part from the littlies, their parents, siblings, students and many others really enjoyed the experience.

We don’t often get the opportunity to turn up and draw. The youngsters expressed their thoughts with three foot paint brushes. The concentration on the little faces was amazing and the tried hard to emulate the Saints and angels created by John Hullon for the Great West Window.

Unwittingly the young artists painted and experimented with big sweeping lines and arks and one after one their own interpretations of angels and saints began to fill the massive canvasses dotted around the Cathedral. As they stood back to get themselves cleaned up they looked on excitedly to see first year Graphic Design students from Coventry University build colour and life into their creative outlines.

Inspiration crossed the ages and joint efforts made colourful impressions of the day.

The BIG DRAW is an annual event at Coventry Cathedral and this year it takes place on the morning of 27th October. Please put the date in your diary and keep in touch via this Blog – just sign up and you’ll receive updates for this and other fun events as we post them.

Why not enter the Coventry Cathedral ‘BIG DRAW’ Competition? It’s easy to take part in this Golden Jubilee event for photography, art and verse.

There is a category for 11 and under; 12 to 16; and 17 plus.

The subject is Coventry Cathedral and it’s Golden Jubilee.

Simply upload your pictures and scanned drawing and verse onto Flickr and join the Coventry Cathedral Competition Group at www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition

Winners by category will be judged and their work displayed as part of the Jubilee Exhibition (Oct 2012). Entries by 30th Sept please and queries to

anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

COMPETITION - latest entries

Just a few of the latest entries into the Coventry Cathedral Creative Competition at

http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

Stained Glass and messy hands – schools’ fun at Coventry Cathedral

The schools team at Coventry Cathedral are always busy organising visits and activities, tours and workshops for Coventry and West Midlands schools.

All ages enjoy their tour of Coventry’s iconic cathedral, which usually start in the old ruins and progress into the art and architectural masterpiece of the new St Michaels that celebrates its 50th birthday this year.

There is so much going on this Golden Jubilee year – the list goes on so pleeeeeease sign up to this blog site to keep yourself updated on upcoming events.

This is what Steve Winter (Head Teacher, St. Oswald’s CE Primary School, Rugby) had to say about a recent visit:

All 60 children from Years 5 and 6 enjoyed their visit to the Cathedral in early March for the Jubilee Workshops.

The focus on the stained glass windows was enhanced by the strong spring sunshine, leading to gasps of wonder as the spectacular sights were enjoyed. The brief guided tour of the old and new cathedrals put the setting in context, especially for those children visiting for the first time.

Three art based activities encouraged children to look carefully at the different windows, and work together to produce their own masterpieces.

The tasks were led by friendly and knowledgeable cathedral staff, and were designed to encourage collaboration and a valued end-product for all. 

After lunch a brief visit to the peace and reconciliation gallery at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum enabled further discussion and interest. A highly recommended day out, to be repeated for all our children over the coming months.

Thank you Steve it was a pleasure to have you all – come again soon.

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk

COMPETITION – join the great art and artists of Coventry Cathedral

As part of the 2012 Golden Jubilee celebrations, Coventry Cathedral’s BIG DRAW team are running a competition to see how the art and architecture that inspired the cathedral’s iconic creation can in turn inspire photography, art and writing today.

It’s easy to enter, fun to take part and the winners will have their work displayed amongst some of the great artistic contributors who have given Coventry Cathedral its great, global post war position as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

The subject is Coventry Cathedral in its Golden Jubilee.

There are three creative categories and three age groups:

Photography, Art and Words (prose or verse); 11 and under, 12 to 16 and 17 plus.

Be part of great artistic and architectural community whose contributions make the Cathedral such a visual feast for visitors who come from all over the world to see wonders such as: St Michael’s victory over Satan and Ecce Homo by Sir Joseph Epstein; Graham Sutherland’s massive tapestry Christ the King; the 195 dazzling panels of John Piper’s Baptistery Window; Clark Fitzgerald’s thought provoking Plumb line and the City; the soulful screen of Saints and Angels in John Hullon’s Great West Window; and Ralph Bayer’s Tablets of the Word.

To host your submissions, a group has been set up on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/coventrycathedralcompetition/

If you don’t have a Flickr account then visit www.flickr.com  to set one up (it’s easy – if I can do it believe me, you can do it too!). Once set up join the group (above) and submit your entries (please read and accept the Group Rules first).

If you are writing prose or verse or want to let your inspiration flow and show as a drawing, scan your work and upload it to the Group to enter.

Coventry University students are taking part and will start CREATING when they get back after their Easter break. Individuals, families, scout groups, school classes and all manner of interested parties will all put their half-finished Easter Eggs to one side, dust off their cameras and mobile phones, sharpen their pencils, dig out their easels - and start creating.

The competition closes 30^th September and winners will be notified by e-mail (so please make sure your e-mail addresses are ‘contactable’ on your Flickr account details).

Winners’ work will be displayed as part of the Golden Jubilee Exhibition in October this year, alongside works from some of the great artistic contributors of the last 50 years that have made Coventry Cathedral what it is today.

For more information please contact Anna Hill anna.hill@coventrycathedral.org.uk