Belvoir Castle & Estate Artist in Residence

Launching a national sculpture competition for student and emerging artists to design large-scale outdoor temporary sculptures using sustainable materials (reclaimed, recycled, raw) is an exciting affair.

As artist-in-residence for belvoir Castle & Estate I have this opportunity to think big, organize an arts event, make a difference in the community.

The deadline for the competition is 31 January 2011 – this will be followed by a sculpture symposium during the Easter 2011 academic break during which selected artists will create their work under my “mentorship” (basically i will facilitate and guide the process of creating these public artworks).

A short brief, full guidelines, an entry form are available from http://www.laurydizengremel.com/Belvoir/Belvoir_3Rs_Reclaimed_Recycled_Raw_Sculpture_Trail.html

I really believe in the necessity for artists to create opportunities for themselves… and to learn how to do so if they don’t know how!

Personally, besides experimenting in 2010 with a host of new sculpture materials, working out for myself a sustainable sculpture practice strategy, starting not just one artist blog but two, and undertaking commissions for an art collector in Aberdeen, one in Washington D.C., another for the University of Virginia plus a further one for the Port Authority in Toronto, Canada – I’ve initiated this year a large-scale community sculpture project on one continent (USA), and created for myself on another continent a 14 month artist residency on a Ducal estate in England, which I have just embarked on.

As artist-in-residence here at Belvoir Castle & Estate, thanks to my energetic art patron the Duchess of Rutland, I have pretty much carte blanche to initiate a host of activities that will not only satisfy me and further my art practice (extending it from artist-maker to artist-organiser), also and more importantly I will be in a position to help other artists further their practices.

Today I received the “go-ahead” for an ambitious sculpture trail, the Belvoir “3Rs – Reclaimed, Recycled – Raw” which is a total blast as I will be offering an opportunity for a number of emerging environmentally conscious artists at various levels of their art education to create artwork from junk/waste, disused stuff and sustainable raw materials locally sourced.

I would love to discuss starting a collaborative project by experienced artists / makers that results in a compendium of successful actions undertaken to create such art opportunities for themselves and for other artists.

This could be a useful tool for youngsters studying art at all levels – for art education. I welcome collaborators on this. Do get in touch if you have an interest or something to contribute to the project!

PRESS RELEASE – BELVOIR CASTLE

Fostering the Arts in the Vale of Belvoir – 6^th October 2010

Creative times are ahead for residents and visitors of the Vale of Belvoir thanks to an art scheme being introduced by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland with the help of their newly appointed artist-in-residence, award-winning sculptor Laury Dizengremel.

“This great place is incredibly appealing to me. It’s a fantastic opportunity to create a rural arts facility and to make contemporary artwork for an ancient Estate, all in the very heart of rural England” says Laury. “Also following former artists associated with the family such as Joshua Reynolds is a great challenge and privilege.”

Besides large-scale, outdoor public works in Ireland, China, Vietnam, Honduras, the USA and France, with both large and small sculptures at Broomhill Sculpture Gardens in North Devon, as well as corporate clients that include HSBC Head Office in Canary Wharf, Laury Dizengremel has also for decades participated in or led a variety of art workshops. She is looking forward to developing a programme to benefit children and adults in the Vale of Belvoir from her new home/studio at the Old Hunt Stables in Woolsthorpe-by- Belvoir.

Emma, Duchess of Rutland is keen on the whole concept of fostering the arts in and around the Belvoir Estate. She said:

“The Estate has a great history of art – from collections made by the 4^th Duke with his friend, Joshua Reynolds to Duchess Violet drawing pictures with Queen Victoria. We are so pleased that Laury has agreed to be our Artist-in-Residence to continue our investment in the arts. Laury is a world-class master portrait sculptor who has previously created sculptures of Roger Federer and other international names While Laury is at Belvoir, she is going to create busts of our daughters. As parents, we are delighted with that!”

The artist hails originally from France, previously lived in England for 20 years and has just moved back to the UK after a stint in rural Montana, where she acquired “a lovely videographer husband, a great rescue dog and a tiny feral kitten, whom I bottle-fed for a few weeks last year and was dubbed on arrival at Heathrow by Animal Reception officers as the first true Norwegian Forest Cat they’d ever seen!”

Laury hopes to receive suggestions from members of the local community. “It’s all about me learning what sculpture, art and design tuition is needed and wanted around the Vale. The programme I will devise will be based entirely on consultation with people at grass roots level.” The artist can be reached via her new e-mail address [email protected] or through her website at www.laurydizengremel/Belvoir. She welcomes all correspondence.

MEDIA CONTACT DETAILS & FURTHER INFORMATION

Please contact Laury on (01476) 879071 and read more about Laury’s work at http://www.laurydizengremel.com

The special project on Roger Federer and the ATP Masters Shanghai / Wimbledon Museum tour sculptures can be seen at: http://www.laurydizengremel.com/Tennis_Terracotta_Warrior_sculptures_ATP_Tennis_Master_Cup_Shanghai_China.html