Have you caught yourself this week asking ‘Why are there giant sheep sculptures in Newcastle city centre?’ Well you aren’t the only one - these sheep are here for a very important reason as they are part of a baaa-rilliant art trail put together by St Oswalds Hospice, Wild in Art and Aardman Animators. Yep, Shaun on the Tyne has arrived in Newcastle!
What is Shaun on the Tyne?
You'll find are 45 big and 70 little Shaun the sheep’s dotted all over the city and you are invited to take part in the ultimate treasure hunt to find them all. You can download the app and unlock sculptures as you find them, or get a physical trail map from us and tick them off that way.
Who created 'Art is Mischief'?
We at Hancock Gallery are delighted to be sponsoring a sculpture this year and have worked with a superbly talented creative on the design, whilst they have chosen to remain anonymous, we will proudly praise the skill and creativity they have put into the sculpture.
The artist recognised instantly that Shaun the Sheep is a very mischievous character that could be a loveable, friendly personality to encourage budding young artists to learn more about the world of art.
The anonymous artist had heard that Shaun was up to no good, causing mischief in all sorts of locations around the world - Shaun was keen to understand more about art and art history as he prepared for this art trail and took himself off to galleries to learn more about the world of art.
On a trip to the Louvre in Paris, our Shaun got a little bit too excited when he saw a famous painting of a lady with a mysterious smile, The Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Shaun charged straight through the frame and burst his way through it, he got completely stuck!
As Shaun is now stuck like this for the full Summer, he is going to take the opportunity to get as many people as possible to learn more about the painting of a lady with the mysterious smile as well as other famous art through time.
How can I get involved?
The large sculpture will sit proudly outside of Hancock Gallery in the heart of the city centre until the end of September, it will then be entered into an auction where you can bid to take it home for yourself and raise vital funds for St Oswald’s.
Whilst you snap your selfie of Shaun outside of Hancock Gallery, don’t move on to the next sculpture too quickly as we have plenty to explore inside - your little ones can learn about mischievous artists through history and get stuck into making some mischievous art of their own, we’ll have competitions and activities running throughout the summer too.
Hancock Gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm.
Our Shaun on the Tyne experience is on the first floor of the gallery (stair access only) and is free to attend. Discover more about the trail and experience here.
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