For some time, the Local Authority, Aberdeenshire Council, had a scheme whereby developers building in any given settlement were obliged to give a percentage of their profit to the local community to support Art, aptly named ‘Percent for Art’.
In 2018 the local Arts Development Officer approached Kemnay Community Council (KCC) with the opportunity of overseeing a pot of money which had accumulated for Kemnay Percent for Art £9726.49 to be spent by November 2022.
KCC did not have the capacity at that time to support this venture and offered it to Greener Kemnay as an independent constituted SCIO to manage, with guidance from Aberdeenshire Council’s Arts Dev Officer and Community Learning & Development Worker. Residents, business owners and artists of Kemnay and environ were invited along to a meeting if they were interested in being involved along with a representative from Greener Kemnay and KCC and Kemnay Art Project was formed.
In order to get to know each other, a mapping exercise was undertaken to identify what should inform the Art Project. Early on it was evident that in order to receive a substantial Art piece, the funds available would need to be increased and so an application to the lottery was submitted and successfully doubled the pot.
The group were keen to bring together and celebrate all aspects of the village focussing on the environment, landscape, history and local dialect being clear of their wish for the possibility of waymarkers in and around the village to encourage the opportunity for the community to stop and consider where they live.
An Artists brief was created with 12 applications being whittled down to 4 who were invited for interview. James Winnett shared a very concise and clear proposal and won the commission to create carved Steens to be placed in and around the village in July 2019. James visited the village and met with various groups – walking, talking and collecting information about what the village meant to them and their favourite places to help inform where he would site the 9 Steens.
Luckily the commission was secured before Covid lockdown, and the artist was able to continue his work from his studio in Glasgow with updates being conducted online. There was great excitement when the completed Steens arrived in the village and placed on their sites.
A guided walk was organised, further funding applied to from Co-op to support James’ presence for a grand opening at Birley Bush in 2022 once Covid restrictions were lifted and small groups could meet in open spaces, and production of Steens booklets and Kids activities book.
A lovely walk sharing the inspiration for James’ carvings helped bring them to life. It has been really encouraging to see an increase to walkers and visitors to the village in search of the Steens 2023 has seen a further application for funding to have an information board created to raise awareness of the walking route maps produced by Aberdeenshire Council, Greener Kemnay and Positive Steps, places of interest and the Steens.
QRcode for Steens
Website for Steens, kemnayCC, GK
