‘A CREATIVE GIANT OF THE 20TH CENTURY!’
Events celebrating city-born artist
A SERIES of events celebrating the life of Oakhill-born artist Arnold Machin – who sculpted the iconic portrait of the Queen used on stamps since 1967 – is being held as part of the city’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The events will kick off with a free walk around Stoke today and will also include interactive workshops and an exhibition.
Machin – an OBE – not only created the Queen’s portrait which is used on stamps, but also on the first British decimal coins from 1968 to 1984.
The design was chosen by the Queen from works by five artists and is said to be the most reproduced work of art of all time, with around 220 billion copies produced.
Now the forthcoming events in
Stoke-on-trent aim to highlight Machin’s life and creativity.
The free series opens today with a ‘Machin’s Stoke’ walk along London Road between Stoke School of Art and The Villas.
Participants should meet at 10.15am outside Stoke School of Art and the Minton Library opposite Sainsbury’s for the mile-long guided walk.
You can get hands-on at a free Stamp Slam Party on Wednesday, June 1, from 6pm to 9pm at Winkhill Mill in Swan Street, Stoke, where you’ll be able to create your own head and shoulders profile portrait inspired by Machin’s iconic ‘Queen’s head’ stamp image, left, with the help of local artists and creatives including Phil Hardaker, Steve Shaw, Cath Ralph and Jerome Whittingham.
The portraits will be on display in the window of Winkhill Mill in June from 10am to 3pm every Thursday and Friday and from 10am to 1pm every Saturday.
The programme of events
– with more to be confirmed
– is supported by Arts Council England and the Staffordshire Community Foundation.
Organiser and artist Danny Callaghan, who is chairman of Stoke-on-trent’s Heritage Network, said: “It’s just incredible that he created the most reproduced art work on the planet, and I don’t think people in the city know much about him.
“Arnold Machin was a creative giant of the 20th century who is really celebrated and honoured outside of this city and we do ourselves a disservice by not shouting from the roof tops about our great local creative hero.”
You don’t have to book but for more information contact hello@ ceramiccitystories.info or visit the Ceramic City Stories website.