Artist David Shrigley “co-founded Sidmouth School of Art in Devon to help nurture creativity, health and wellbeing in the area he now lives in.” [The Sunday Post]
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The Sidmouth School of Art is all about “using creativity as a catalyst, to help people embrace lifelong learning, develop talents and skills”. And so it is not only very appropriate but it is quite something to have David Shrigley as a founding trustee of the Sidmouth School Of Art:
Studied at Glasgow School of Art, best known for his drawings: often witty, funny, sarcastic, in tune observations about life and the universe that help to make us feel better. His sculpture Really Good was installed on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth plinth 2016-2018. David received an OBE in 2020.
Returning to Scotland for a moment, here are some excerpts from an interview with Artist David Shrigley on his love of Glasgow, Kingsley, and his distinctive style from the Scottish paper the Sunday Post from a couple of years ago. And halfway through it mentions the following:
A firm believer that expressing creativity is good for mental health, Shrigley, who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2013, co-founded Sidmouth School of Art in Devon to help nurture creativity, health and wellbeing in the area he now lives in. Its logo is heavily inspired by the classic Charles Rennie Mackintosh font, a tribute to Shrigley’s studies at Glasgow School of Art…
“I’ve managed to acquire a little office in Sidmouth near where we live, and did it all up as a studio. I drive there in my little electric car most days of the week and do my thing. I can’t speak for all artists but that’s the joy and the privilege of being an artist.”
“I got involved in a community art project in Devon. It’s nice to develop that understanding of the value of art, making it and participating in it, beyond just making a case for funding. It’s actually quite elemental to people, and in extreme cases can save people’s lives just having that connection with their creativity and understanding the value of it.”
And only this week, David was making further waves in the world of art, as this piece from BBC news shows when David Shrigley proves you can get Money for Old Rope.
The Sun might have its own take on the story: Modern artist selling 10-tonne pile of OLD ROPE artwork for eye-watering sum. But as his gallerist Stephen Friedman points out, this is unwanted lengths of rope destined for landfill.
The art magazine Wallpaper* makes a further point, whilst underlying the other primary message:
To be fair to Shrigley, he’s not seriously suggesting that the rope is worth £1 million. The price tag is deliberately provocative, literally embodying the idiom ‘money for old rope’. The Turner Prize-nominated artist is known for his deadpan, self-deprecating work, and the exhibition is intended as a commentary on the contemporary art market and the nature of artistic value.
That said, there may be some genuine artistic value to be found here. Much of the rope is made from synthetic polyester and nylon, materials notoriously difficult to recycle. In this respect, the exhibition addresses a pressing environmental concern – an estimated 640,000 tonnes of discarded fishing gear and marine rope enter the oceans each year – and explores the transformative potential of giving discarded materials a second life through art.
All of which seems to be very much the ethos of the Sidmouth School of Art…
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