Come and join us for bubbly and nibbles at art exhibition to celebrate architecturally unique New Ash Green
New Ash Green Youth and Community Centre will be brought to life on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July 2017 with an ambitious art exhibition The Shape of New Ash Green celebrating the 50th anniversary of this one-of-a-kind village.
Local artists Sam Hickman and Sass Harding will be joined by the students of New Ash Green Primary School who have created commemorative artwork as part of the village’s year-long celebrations.
On how the exhibition came about, Sam Hickman says, ‘We had been looking for a project to work on together – one where I could take Sass’s photographic point of view and make the images my own through paper then display them side by side. The village turning 50 is the perfect opportunity.’
New Ash Green was conceived by architect Eric Lyons and developer SPAN as a design-led solution to modern housing needs in 1967. The Shape of New Ash Green exhibition showcases its distinctive concept and identity.
Sam Hickman lives and works in New Ash Green. She creates her designs from paper by cutting them from a single sheet or by collage.
Bold lines and shapes, often in the form of silhouettes, are seen in all her pieces and regularly include typography too.
She studied Theatre Design at Bretton Hall College, Leeds and subsequent creative employment as a set designer, scenic artist and mural artist followed before she discovered the art of papercutting.
This is Sam’s first time exhibiting her work in this way and the first collaboration since beginning as a paper artist in 2013.
Sass Harding has lived in New Ash Green for over 25 years. Photography has been one of her interests since she was a child, and she eventually turned her hobby into a business a few years ago.
She has enjoyed collaborating with her friend, local paper artist Sam Hickman, on this project which is very close to her heart. Having grown up in the village, it holds a lot of memories for her which she was able to explore as she set out to capture this unique place on its 50th anniversary.