Arts Council England and London 2012 announced today (Thursday 22nd October) that Leicestershire artist and Design Factory designer/maker member Shauna Richardson has been selected as the East Midlands winner of a £500,000 commission for Artists taking the lead, one of the major projects for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Shauna’s project Lionheart will feature three 30ft hand crocheted lions in a huge taxidermy style case.  They will dominate an East Midlands location. The project was selected by an independent panel of artists and producers from the five projects shortlisted in August from a total of 118 regional entries. 

Shauna lives in Stoughton, Leicestershire and describes herself as a ‘crochetdermist.’ She uses the world of curiosity, Victorian taxidermy and the endangered craft of crochet to sculpt realistic life-size animals.

Lionheart will celebrate the East Midlands textile industry.  It was inspired by the textile heritage of the East Midlands and Richard the Lionheart’s crest (standard) of three lions.

The location for displaying Lionheart has still to be finalised.  The lions’ bodies will be created by a professional polystyrene sculptor.  Each will be positioned in a different pose, one on its rear legs in a leaping position.

As sections are produced they will receive crochet ‘skins’ which will be created by Shauna personally using wool and hook.  It is estimated this will take around two years.

Public participation will be encouraged through a webcam, studio visits and participatory activities across the region.  Visitors will also be able to enter the completed installation for a hands-on experience.

Lionheart  is one of 12 commissions that will be realised across the UK over the next three years, each inspired by their location and celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. There is one commission for each of the nine English regions and the nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

While studying fine art at De Montfort University, Leicester, Shauna’s practice was conceptual and questioning art drove her work.

“I came to believe that maybe anything could be art – maybe a gesture, or an empty space.  I now use realism and traditional craft to explore this theory.

“The opportunity created by Artists taking the Lead is extraordinary.  This is a truly exciting invitation to think big and create something spectacular that will celebrate our heritage and put each region and nation squarely on the map.”

Peter Knott, Director Arts and Development with Arts Council England, East Midlands, said: “We considered Lionheart to be the best proposal as it is unique and on a grand scale.  This monumental work will be striking and engaging.  Its sheer audacity as an object of art will make it stand out and create considerable interest.

“It will celebrate the region’s cultural, industrial and historical heritage while inspiring thoughts about our relationship with other nations and cultures – thereby meeting Olympic ideals.”

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe said: “The winning commissions will be the catalyst for a truly national showcase of culture inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Each project will explore the nation and region’s creativity as part of a UK-wide celebration of London 2012.”

The other winning commissions across the UK are:

EAST: On Landguard Point, Pacitti Theatre Company
EAST MIDLANDS: Lionheart, Shauna Richardson
LONDON: Bus.Tops, Alfie Dennen and Paula Le Dieu
NORTH EAST: FLOW, Ed Carter and The Owl Project
NORTH WEST: Projected Column, Anthony McCall and FACT
NORTHERN IRELAND: The Nest, Brian Irvine and John McIlduff
SCOTLAND: tbc
SOUTH EAST: The Boat Project, Lone Twin
SOUTH WEST: nowhereisland, Alex Hartley
WALES: Adain Avion, Marc Rees
WEST MIDLANDS: Godiva Awakes, Imagineer Productions
YORKSHIRE: Canvas, Leeds Creative Partnerships

The winning commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011 in close collaboration with local communities. All twelve will take part in a final unifying celebration, prior to the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The value of the commissions awarded to the winning artists is:

Nine English regions £500,000 each
Northern Ireland  £190,000 (Lottery funded)
Scotland   £460,000 (Lottery funded)
Wales    £230,000 (Lottery funded)

The winning commissions for each nation and region were selected by independent panels of artists and producers with a range of experience in commissioning major arts events.

The panel for the East Midlands was: Stephen Lowe, writer (TV, film and theatre); Terry Shave, painter, curator and Professor of Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University; Stephanie Hernandez, who has worked in arts and media for over 20 years; Jeanie Finlay, artist and film maker;  Henderson Mullin, Chief Executive of Writing East Midlands;  Design Factory designer/maker member Linda Marie Young, lecturer and mixed media designer/maker; Paul Brookes, Creative Programmer for the East Midlands;  Peter Knott, Director of Arts and Development at Arts Council England, East Midlands.

The panel judged the submissions based on the quality of the ideas and how they met the four core aims of the project:
• Ideas that are original and led by artists
• Ideas that reflect or are inspired by the location in which they will take shape
• Ideas that show a legacy for communities and artists beyond 2012
• Ideas that celebrate London 2012 and reflect the values of the Cultural Olympiad

For further information see www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk

Press release courtesy of the Arts Council www.artscouncil.org.uk