Big Winners at The Big Draw

Inspire Libraries, Nottinghamshire is delighted to announce it's achievement of the the Community, Participatory and Libraries Award at the latest Big Draw Festival Awards for both 2020 and 2021. 

The Big Draw Festival Awards annually honour drawing and creativity on a global scale by presenting 7 awards to organisations, individuals, and schools that showcase the significant impact of drawing as a means of communication, innovation, and inclusivity during The World's Biggest Drawing Festival.

For The Big Draw 2020: A Climate of Change, Inspire partnered with Miner2Major, a landscape partnership scheme which encourages people to get involved with projects aimed at celebrating and conserving Nottinghamshire’s Heritage. Participants designed and painted silk bunting flags which were shown in a touring exhibition across Nottinghamshire libraries over the course of a year. 

Inspire Libraries and Miner2Major collaborated with artist Jess Kemp, whose work is featured in the exhibition and who led communities in the Miner2Major area to discover Sherwood's nature and heritage through creating festival bunting together. 

Sadly Jess passed away in 2021, but her exhibition and her creations will continue to be shown at festivals for years to come, in tribute to her kindness, her friendship and her artistic talent.

Read more about Inspire's project for The Big Draw in 2020. 

For The Big Draw: Make the Change in 2021, Inspire introduced a project called FACES, PLACES at libraries and across primary schools, which celebrated place and our connection to it by making a mass portrait of Nottinghamshire. Working with international artist Hetain Patel, the project used the story of The Mayflower as a starting point. Our Big Draw linked to Hetain's Mayflower inspired project LANDING, which came to be with the help of young people from Bassetlaw and was all about people's relationship to place and belonging, wherever we land.

Participants joined in at the library, or by picking up a kit and drawing from home. We received 2500 FACES, PLACES self-portraits on circular cardboard tiles from artists of all ages at FACES, PLACES workshops ran by midland artists Emma Reynard and Oliver Lovley. These workshops ran in Inspire Libraries, in Bassetlaw schools and in homes across the county. 

Read more about Inspire's project for The Big Draw 2021.

Helen Ackroyd, Libraries and Culture Manager at Inspire, said: "The Big Draw is such a fabulous organisation, community and framework and for more than ten years we've used it to reach and engage audiences, support partners, generate ideas and create a dialogue in visual form, enjoying all the benefits of drawing along the way. Thank you Big Draw for recognising everyone involved in these two projects, both delivered in difficult circumstances. Keep your eyes peeled for our next one!". 

Visitors can go and see Inspire's current exhibition for The Big Draw 2022: Come Back to Colour at Worksop Library until 27th February 2023, before it moves on to West Bridgford Library from 2nd March until 11th April. 

We thank our partners Miner2Major, Arc Partnership, Mayflower 400 and ABL Health for their collaboration and continued support.