Following a visit to the Art archive at National Coal Mining Museum England (NCMME), we developed a project that would enable us to involve school and community groups in a creative journey of making artwork inspired by Betty Miller’s sculptural work My Village and photographic images of people who live and work in her childhood home town, Royston in Barnsley. 

We have worked with over 280 people so far, including multi-generational family groups with toddlers and great grandparents, primary school aged children, adults with additional needs at Betta Lives and retired people at CISWO. Through the workshops hundreds of drawings that have been made.

Our studio is a hive of activity as we explore and develop ideas for playful and colourful sculptures influenced and inspired by My Village, artwork created in the school and community workshops and photographs of people that live and work in Royston.  We are simultaneously developing new sculptural works using repurposed wood, cardboard and ceramics that will form the central part of the Villagers - Sculpting the Community exhibition.

The exhibition will take place at NCMME and Royston Library in October 2026 and then tour to Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland in February 2027.

More information about Sculpting the Community can be found on the project website www.sculptingthecommunity.co.uk

Funded by: Arts Council England