Young Artists Show Chesterfield Vision
The Next Gen collective of artists aged 16 to 30 opened "Chesterfield Through Our Eyes" at Pavements Shopping Centre. The exhibition provides young artists a unique opportunity to respond to a professional brief and gain experience exhibiting their work. The show represents a growing trend of supporting emerging local talent through community-based exhibition spaces.
- The exhibition is scheduled to run from Saturday, 14 February, to Sunday, 14 March. - The Next Gen collective is a project facilitated by Junction Arts, a local charity established in 1976 that creates art experiences to improve wellbeing and skills in disadvantaged areas. - This exhibition is part of a larger two-year public art program called Animate Chesterfield, which aims to create new artworks and activities during the regeneration of the town and Staveley. - The display stands used for the exhibition were funded by the Animate Chesterfield program and will be available for other community groups to use for future public exhibitions. - The theme required the artists to reflect on what Chesterfield means to them and their vision for the town's future, resulting in a variety of formats and techniques. - Chesterfield Borough Council purchased the Pavements Shopping Centre in 2021 to better control the future development of the key town centre site and align it with wider regeneration plans. - The Animate Chesterfield program is delivered by Beam, a cultural development organization, and has also included projects like the appointment of an artist in residence and the creation of a new town centre mural. - The Next Gen project has been running for three years, with the 2024/25 group having the specific opportunity to work on a live brief for this public exhibition.
