Captain Stone to head back out on the road
NEW OWNERS TO SHARE EYE-CATCHING RAM WITH PUBLIC
ONE of the most eye-catching stars of Derby’s successful Ram Trail is heading back out on the road courtesy of its new owners Project D, who have pledged to share him with the public.
The distinctive Captain Stone ram will make his first appearance at this weekend’s Melbourne Arts Festival where he will be positioned on the back of the company’s bright pink flatbed truck.
The ram was designed by Liam Sharp, who is a Derby-born comic strip writer and artist now living in California, where he works for DC Comics and Warner Brothers.
Captain Stone, who is named after one of Liam’s comic book heroes, will blend in perfectly at the festival which is due to be attended by around 100 of the region’s best artists.
Project D strategy director Jacob Watts said: “We were huge fans of the Ram Trail because it was a lovely celebration of the city and helped to put Derby on the map. Once we saw Captain Stone we knew we had to have him, because he is the exact pink of Project D’s branding.
“At first, we were going to put him in our bakery, the Dream Factory, but we’re keen to take him out on the road with us. So, he’ll be making guest appearances at some of our pop-ups.
“We have spoken to Liam, and he is really happy that we are going to keep making Captain Stone available to members of the public, because art should be seen not hidden away.”
Captain Stone was one of the flock of 30 rams to go under the hammer last week. Each one smashed through their £1,000 asking price raising £158,000 for Derby Museums.
That money is being matched by the National Lottery, taking the grand total to in excess of £300,000.
Jacob added: “We were quite lucky to have been able to buy the ram we had our eye on because I know a few people left empty-handed when the price went through the roof.
“We hope Captain Stone will be star of the show this weekend. He might even outshine our doughnuts – which are works of art in themselves.”