Flower of region’s art blooms in botanical gardens

And, over the weekend, thousands of art lovers, families and interested visitors flocked to Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens for the ninth annual Art in the Gardens festival.

Highlights included live folk, jazz and soul music; a craft market; the chance to vote in the People’s Choice section of the Open Art competition; and a life-sized sculpture of Britain’s first tattooed man in the Gardens’ hidden Bear Pit.

Coun Isobel Bowler, Sheffield’s Council’s cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, commended the event’s “really exciting line-up” and added: “It’s great that Sheffield is able to attract such talented and creative artists to the city.

“There’s so much to see and do that it is for anyone to fit it into just one day.”

Art in the Gardens was launched with a preview evening on Friday, August 31 where guests mingled with artists and had the first chance to buy one of the several hundred artworks on show.

Gates of the Botanical Gardens, off Clarkehouse Road, were then thrown open for two full days on Saturday and Sunday.

One of the most popular exhibitions, away from the hubbub of the main marquees, was The Great Omi sculpture by Sheffield-based artist Anthony Bennett.

The sculpture, which was on display in the city for the first time, was set in the park’s Grade II-listed Bear Pit, which was built in 1836.

The pit was home to two bears until the 1870s, when they were removed after a tragic accident in which a child fell in and died.

Nowadays, the area permanently houses a sculpture of a bear but, this weekend, the 2.4m-tall brown grizzly was joined by The Great Omi – an extremely lifelike sculpture of Horace Ridler, who, in the 1920s, became the most tattooed man in the country.

Ridler, also known as The Zebra Man, left his career in the forces behind him to have his entire body covered in tattoos and become one of the highest-paid circus performers of all time.

Bennett, who made the sculpture of Ridler in 2008, said: “It was great to have been invited to exhibit The Great Omi at this year’s Art in the Gardens event.

“This is the very first time that it’s been displayed in Sheffield and I can’t think of a better setting or event to showcase it.”

Art in the Gardens event manager Howard Simpson said The Great Omi was one of the main attractions of the weekend.

He added: “The reaction to The Great Omi has been absolutely incredible.

“It’s more realistic than anything in Madame Tussauds. A lot of people have been too scared to go up close to it, because they were scared that the figure would jump out at them.”

Meanwhile, Olympic high diver Monique Gladding joined a list of other famous faces including actor and entertainer Bradley Walsh, comedian and actor Toby Foster and artist Joe Scarborough when she became the subject of this year’s Portraits of Distinction competition.

Artists had to paint a portrait of the 31-year-old from a photograph, and the 10m platform diver was at the event herself yesterday to judge the contest.

In first place was Andrew Warren, while Bill Paton came second and Luke Braddock was third.

Gladding said: “It’s an absolute privilege and honour to be involved with this project, and
to be aligned with the people 
that have previously taken 
part.

“Having studied art at school my passion still continues and it is something I love and use in 
my downtime to relax and unwind.”

The photo shoot for Portraits of Distinction was organised by artist and photographer Trevor Neal, who said both Gladding and her coach and husband Steve Gladding, had been “very generous with their time.”

Other notable winners over the weekend included Sam Dolman, who won the People’s Choice vote in the Open Art Competition, and Michelle Granger-Robertson who won the judge’s vote.

Event manager Mr Simpson said that the standard of entries this year had been higher than ever.

He said: “It’s been absolutely fantastic; it’s really gone well.

“We’ve had a fantastic turnout, with well over 10,000 visitors, and we’ve also had record sales in the Open Art marquee.

“Open Art gives artists an opportunity to get into selling their work, and often it’s where artists have exhibited for the very first time.

“I think the quality of the work, overall, has been better this year than in any previous year.”