Arty HarFest!

My Oh My, we are lucky!

We were recently thrilled to have a ‘banner’ artwork especially designed for us by none other than Helen McCookerybook. 

Helen was the bass guitarist and lead singer with Punk Rock band The Chefs during the late 70s and early 80s.  She went on to form Helen And The Horns, before continuing her career as a solo artist, writer and lecturer.

Her first book, under the name of Helen Reddington was The Lost Women Of Rock: Female Musicians Of The Punk Era and was published in 2007.  The book featured interviews with The Slits, Gina Birch, The Mod-ettes, Enid Williams of Girlschool, Dolly Mixture, Gaye Black of Adverts, Vi Subversa of Poison Girls, Rhoda Dakar, Lucy O'Brien, Attila The Stockbroker, Caroline Coon, Geoff Travis and the late great John Peel.

She holds a doctorate from the University of Westminster and has lectured at the University of East London since 2006.  Her musical teachings have inspired the musical community for over ten years.  Katy Carr, the British songwriter and performer cites Helen's lectures on the musical works of The Raincoats and the Riot Grrrl underground feminist Punk Rock movement as a source of initial inspiration for her own 2001 album Screwing Lies.  

Helen's partner is none other than Martin Stephenson who is headlining #HarFest2015 and the banner superbly combines Harvest and music as one:

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If that wasn't enough, we have also had an avatar designed by local Community artist Joy Ladds.  She is always looking to work sustainably, has little fear of failure and a loud laugh.

Joy describes herself as a vegetable lover (though not in a weird way!) and  is part of the neighbouring Incredible Edible group from Ramsbottom.  She also has musical leanings albeit in a reverse sort of way:

“As an idealistic teenager I’d not been the type to swoon over Gary Numan, a walk across the local fields, blackberry picking with my smashing Grandad was more my thing.  My dungarees were not worn a la Dexy’s Midnight Runners mode but were more a nod to the country bumpkin that lay semi-dormant in this Council-housed Sheffield lass.”

She had always dreamed that someday she would plant a field of wildflowers, and is now transforming a ‘scrap of land next to the Vets and behind Isherwoods’ into a wildflower patch that will hopefully attract masses of butterflies and bees and look simply beautiful.

Some of her fab artworks can be seen in the Eagle & Child in Rammy and the unique way of using old maps appealed to HarFest.  The avatar she has created combines Harvest, fruit, vegetables, music and a map of Rossendale beautifully:

We really can’t thank Helen and Joy enough for their huge generosity, time and skill.  We think they’re both Incredible and needless to say you'll be seeing much more of their designs!