About E.S.I.
Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative

Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative (ESI) is a grass roots organisation that has grown out of its involvement in a three-year transnational European touring sculpture exhibition which ran from 2006 to 2008. The group members are from the local community and include arts professionals, artists, representatives of town council, primary and secondary schools, and interested local people.

ESI has three key values for its arts activities: to commission quality work, to engage with people and to push boundaries.

ESI takes the role of a bridge between commissioning bodies such as Local Authorities and artists. It manages the commissioning process identifying and working with artists to ensure that all commissions are based on quality work. ESI works actively with individual local and emerging artists, and also regional, national and international networks of artist makers.

EESI's approach is to work within the local community, giving information, running workshops or by providing other practical involvement, and to involve groups of school children and adults in bringing new art work to the town. Current activities include:

1. Project management of 6 Interpretative way markers for NSDC ETC Tourism Development Forum, including managing the sound interpretation bringing together local dramatic and history groups with new technology recording systems.
2. Assisting Ellemere Primary School in the development of its Sculpture Garden, supporting its Art's Year through identifying artists, providing expertise and supporting its application for The Arts Mark.
3. Developing a major arts initiative called The Ellesmere Sculpture Map which will have a long term regenerative impact on the town and is environs. Models for this are the Hay on Wye book festival, and the internationally important sculpture event, Documenta, in Kassel, Germany.