"Making a difference for who? The Tourists? The Community? Local Education? Or just the area in general?
The answer is a bit of everything - after all, as the old saying goes, we can't please all the people all the time, can we?
When I was asked by Llanfyllin High School to give a talk to the A-level art students about my work, I thought I would get some answers from the students so as I knew what young people in education think of my type of work in the landscape of Powys.
As I have not come from a formal art background, my work focuses a lot on responding to both the clients needs, the surrounding environment as well as the materials I am using at the time. When I talk to anyone about my work it is a fairly broad conversation in terms of the big picture.
Making a difference is important to me in terms of recycling landmark materials, getting people to become enthusiastic about art and also to pass on my rudimentary skills to anyone who wants to learn.
Asking the students for their thoughts on art in the landscape produced the varying degree of answers I have heard for years. They said that they wanted more people to come to Powys and bring their money with them. They also said they didn't want too many people and that word of mouth was a better form of promotion that an all out marketing campaign. Some wanted more roadside sculptures for the passing motorist to remember their journey by while others thought establishing more sculpture parks such as the international venue at Lake Vyrnwy was the way to go.
Most local people (wherever local is) say that they enjoy the sculptures and that they have seen an increase in visitors to the area as a result. Shop owners say the same thing and always add "what's next?"
With transport costs always an issue and rising costs everywhere, schools sometimes find it difficult to get out to all the venues we are lucky enough to have in Powys - Lake Vyrnwy, Powysland Museum in Welshpool, Neuadd Bridge caravan park etc. They all agree that anything to help children and older students understand the inspiration and then the making of a piece of art on a large scale is always welcome. It helps to tie all the theory together when you can talk to a "real" artist and ask the questions you have always wanted answers to.
With community art being at the forefront in Powys through organisations such as Arts Connection the people in the various communities served by this group and others have undoubtedly seen an improvement in their landscapes and outlooks over the past 10 years.
Business owners such as the Neville family that own the Neuadd Bridge site already know, and have seen the benefits of commissioning art on a large scale. As well as an increase in visitors to look around the park they have seen sales increase and a consolidation throughout their existing customer base. This means more money in the long term to make more improvements to attract more people and so and so forth.
So is sculpture in Powys - making a difference? The answer is undoutebly yes!From a child who is inspired by a simple sculpture, to artists who are prepared to travel thousands of miles to make a piece of work to go into this wonderful county I think we have proved that art can, and is, making a difference to education, the community, and to the overall quality of life in Powys.
Of course not everyone will agree - but then again, when do we all agree on everything?
By Andy Hancock.
