Buttons for penguins
Works of art can sometimes cost the earth, but today there’s a piece in Liverpool that will literally have cost buttons……
Since July, children in the city have been collecting thousands of buttons to decorate a special flock of nine feathered friends for the UK’s biggest school’s arts project of 2009 – Go Penguins.
And today, October 12, Gateacre Community Comprehensive School will host a unique decoration day, involving more than 150 children from nine schools, to create what will be the first penguin colony.
The school is using its Specialist Status in Arts to help fund eight local primary schools in the project, which currently has 93 schools participating.
The eight primary schools (Woolton CP, Bishop Martin, Rudston, Belle Vale, Hope, Norman Pannell, OLA and Childwall Valley Primary) along with Gateacre will be also getting a helping hand from Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Storey.
Once completed these nine penguins, along with more than another 200, go on public display across Liverpool. They come in two sizes - 3 and 5 foot – and will be seen on street corners, in cultural venues and shop windows - from November 22 until January 10 2010.
Head Teacher of Gateacre, Gerard Lonergan, said: "I'm delighted so many schools responded to our offer to give as many young people as possible a chance to be part of this exciting and fun project. All the chatter in the classes has all been about Go Penguins – and now we’re ready to get going."
Go Penguins – a free public art experience - is the headline event of Liverpool's Year of the Environment, the first post European Capital of Culture themed year.
Sally-Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild In Art which devised the Capital of Culture hit Go Superlamabananas, said: ‘’I’m delighted so many schools have come together to be part of Go Penguins.
‘’As well as the obvious creative benefits of working together on an art project, the penguins are a great way of getting across important environmental messages about global warming. So, the more children involved the greater the awareness of what we have to do to save the planet.’’
Go Penguins is also the signature event of A Winter’s Trail, which will see several major cultural organisations in the city staging their own penguin related events to underpin Liverpool’s Christmas celebrations.
Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council, added: ‘’One of the great legacies of Capital of Culture was that we learnt how to engage our communities in unleashing their creativity. Thanks to Go Penguins thousands of people will find their inner artist, become more environmentally aware and help create the best Christmas decorations any UK city will have this year.’’
For more information about Go Penguins and how to become a sponsor log on to: www.gopenguins.co.uk
