Capturing change: Sheffield in pictures

Suitable for:6 to 10, 11 to 16, 16+
Visual arts

The Picturing Sheffield exhibition at the Weston Park Museum art gallery shows how our city has reinvented itself over the centuries. It showcases everything from 19th-century oil paintings to 21st-century street art to remind us that change is pretty much constant.

With all the paintings put in the same place, you can’t help but think about the changes we’re living through right now.

Paint your own history

Take a look at the exhibition on this online gallery then paint the same place as it is now. You could do this by using Google Maps Street View or searching for the place online. Share your artwork using #picturingsheffield

Why not document the changing landscape where you live by painting the view from your window.

 

Make it new

You can see images of contemporary street artist Jo Peel's brilliant work here. If you are inspired by her work, why not try a stylised line drawing using a drawing pen? Or use a digital device to create your picture – search the App store for the Brushes painting app to get started.

#picturingsheffield

 

Picturing Sheffield gallery at Weston Park Museum © Andy Brown
Picturing Sheffield gallery at Weston Park Museum © Andy Brown

Use the materials you like best or challenge yourself to master something new. Acrylics, gouache, poster paints or watercolours would work well.

You could use charcoal for a monochrome picture. Or you could try using different pencil types for a range of light and shade.

The Brushes Painting app is available for phones and tablets. This is what the artist David Hockney used to create a whole sequence of paintings recently.

Museums Sheffield have shared a series of artist videos from the Picturing Sheffield exhibition talking about their work and inspiration.

The Art House have opened an online group where people are invited to express their creativity and share encouragement amongst Sheffield-based artists. Get inspired by other's work, or post your own creations.

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