Live Illustration Mural for Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
This summer I had the pleasure of collaborating with Rugby Art Gallery and Museum for their Big Birthday Bash - a celebration of 25 years of their building, alongside the launch of their summer exhibitions and family activities programme.
When Senior Learning and Engagement Officer, Phoebe Hilton, first approached me, her vision was clear:
“We are on the precipice of developing a new cultural strategy and I thought this event would be a great vehicle to gather feedback from visitors on what creativity and culture locally means to them, and what they want to see happen in the future. I’m a little bit obsessed with your Instagram page and immediately thought of you when this came to mind, and feel live illustration would be a perfect way to truly embed creativity throughout this consultation process and invigorate thinking around this.”
This felt so up my street! I love helping organisations with audience and participant consultation especially in the arts and cultural sector.
Live illustration by Esther Springett
During the event, I created a live illustration mural as a vibrant centrepiece for conversation. I facilitated one-to-one conversations with visitors of all ages, listening to their reflections on what the art gallery and museum means to them and their hopes for the future of creativity in Rugby.
Live illustration by Esther Springett
As people shared their ideas, I drew their responses live, transforming words, stories and themes into a growing visual mural that reflected the community’s collective voice.
The final artwork has been professionally printed and displayed in the main gallery, providing a record of the day and a living artwork to spark further insights and ideas.
Live illustration by Esther Springett on display in Rugby Art Gallery
Oh, and what a privilege to have my illustration sit alongside an incredible painting by Turner Prize nominated Barbara Walker. If you’re in the area you must check out this new acquisition to the gallery.
Visitors are now able to see their contributions reflected back to them in visual form, encouraging ongoing dialogue and ensuring the consultation process is as engaging and creative as the community it serves.
“They (illustrations) are brilliant. I think everyone had a great time and your sketches were really lovely to see yesterday.”
“Just to echo Katie’s comments on the work, we love it and you capture our aims perfectly.”
Live illustration by Esther Springett
It’s always really validating as an illustrator and artist to receive immediate feedback like this. Thank you Katie and Sally.
If you’d like to bring live illustration, visual consultation, or community engagement murals into your next project or event, let’s talk.
I’d love to capture voices, ideas and stories in a way that is both creative and memorable.
