Barnsley Mosaics
A series of handcrafted mosaics have now gone on display at Barnsley Railway Station depicting the beautiful Penistone countryside, thanks to the young women of the 17th Barnsley Brownies & Guides (based at Penistone) and local artist Zoe Stainton.
The mosaics depict the rural scenery of the Penistone area just a short train ride away from Barnsley, connecting the beauty of this borough’s wildlife, flora & fauna, farm animals and landscapes, to the town centre for travellers by rail to enjoy.
Zoe led creative workshops to bring the young women’s drawings to life using pieces of closely set coloured ceramic tile applied to a wooden surface prepared with adhesive. Each piece is an anonymous fraction of a larger design, creating smaller intricate patterns which can only be fully understood once all the pieces are in place and the viewer steps back to appreciate the artwork as a whole.
These mosaics showcase the talent of local young people and the value of Girl guiding which has introduced them to new opportunities, challenges and life skills whilst building confidence.
“Penistone is very proud of these young women and our long history with Guiding - 100 Years this year! We are also very grateful for ALL the hours of planning and support the leaders and volunteers give for these young people; without their commitment and support our community would not flourish and deliver for these young women.” Cllr Neville Shiggins, Mayor of Penistone.
“Barnsley is the place of possibilities where people use their energy, imagination and creativity to make things possible. This project is a great example of our young people making things happen – turning ideas and their experience of the place they live into these wonderful images on the walls of this station.” Cllr Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture.
South Yorkshire MCA hosted a community event on 2 September 2022 to thank the Girl Guides, celebrate their creativity and bring local people together with elected members and rail industry representatives.
Barnsley Councillor Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, Councillor Neville Shiggins, Mayor of Penistone, Rowena Chantler, Community Rail Officer with the Penistone Line Partnership and Charlotte from the Girl Guides gave inspiring speeches themed around community, supporting our young people and public transport connectivity.
Complimentary hot drinks and homemade cakes were donated by the ArtWorks charity, local family business Whites Bakery and Brian Barnsley from Community Rail Network and offered to guests by ArtWorks members, as part of their Life Skills classes, and Rachel Sprigg, Rail Development Manager at South Yorkshire MCA.
These mosaics have been gratefully received by the South Yorkshire MCA for display in their waiting room by platform two; originally planned for Penistone station they migrated to the larger Barnsley station due to the size of the exhibition space available and the opportunity to reach a larger audience. They were kindly installed by Bill McMahon and his team at ISS and the whole project was initiated and facilitated by the Penistone Line Partnership; a nice example of different parties coming together to deliver a fantastic community led project.
Zoe Stainton is a local artist who studied ceramics in Cardiff before becoming a community artist, lecturer and an artist in schools, inspiring other young people to explore their creativity through the medium of ceramic tiles amongst other things.