Thursday, 18 August 2022
One hundred egg shells, ornately decorated by a Nottingham artist using Pysanky art, are on display in the city to raise money for the people of Ukraine.
During a sell-out launch event, the eggs raised more than £600 for the Disaster Emergencies Committee (DEC)’s Ukraine Appeal, which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas.
Tory Hayward, a Senior Research Development Manager at the University of Nottingham, has been supported to create the exhibition by local charity City Arts.
A St Ann’s resident, Tory has received support through City Arts’ RESIDENCE project, where panels of ‘Community Curators’ award bursaries of £1200 to Nottingham artists that they believe could make a difference in their community.
Anastasiia Kliuha, a Nottingham Research Fellow, with artist Tory Hayward
Pysanky is an ancient Ukrainian folk tradition. Eggs are decorated using a wax-resist method. It is believed that for each egg decorated, good will triumph over evil for another year.
Tory has invested around 200 hours into the endeavour, painting a mixture of hen, goose and rhea eggs. She has been supported by Nottingham’s Ukrainian community, including students at the University of Nottingham who have also decorated eggs for the exhibition.
Ukrainian national, Anastasiia Kliuha, a Nottingham Research Fellow, said she was delighted to share this tradition with people in Nottingham: “Pysanka is a strong connection with my land and my family. It is part of my identity.”
I’m delighted to provide a platform for this special tradition in Nottingham. I am humbled by the support this project has received so far and I hope will be a practical and symbolic act of support for Ukraine which our whole community can participate in.
Suzannah Bedford, Director of City Arts, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this fantastic creative project by St Ann’s-based artist Tory Hayward. The exhibition is a beautiful example of how communities can collaborate with artists to commission work that is relevant to them. We hope the people of Nottingham will be inspired by this ancient Ukrainian folk art tradition.”
The exhibition, ‘100 Eggs for Ukraine’ runs until 22 September 2022. It can be seen in the Window Gallery at City Arts, Mondays to Thursdays, between 10:30am - 5pm. The eggs are available to buy online for collection once the exhibition has finished with all proceeds donated to the DEC Ukraine appeal.
People can donate to the appeal here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/100eggproject
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About the RESIDENCE project
RESIDENCE is designed to connect artists with Nottingham’s communities. Local people become ‘Community Curators’. They design projects and commission artists, working together to explore the lives of people in Nottingham. The project offers people the power to define how culture can make a difference to their community.
city-arts.org.uk/project/residence/
About City Arts
Since 1977, City Arts has collaborated with communities and artists to create and explore art of all kinds – from music to writing, from drawing to dance. It aims to give everyone the chance to be creative, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.
City Arts is a registered charity and is supported by Arts Council England and Nottingham City Council.
city-arts.org.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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