Arts Derbyshire

Artist profile

Lise Bennett

As an artist I work mainly in wire, paint, mixed media, collage and textiles. I have over 14 years of experience in creating puppets and sets for theatre, authors and musicians. As a freelance Creative Practitioner with over 20 years of experience, I have worked and still do work with many organisations including Platform Thirty1, Fleet Arts, Junction Arts, Furthest From The Sea, AirArts, Museum of Making and many schools and community groups. One of my main passions is how creativity can help our mental health and healing, as well as bringing communities together. I have been working with The Mighty Creatives as a Creative Mentor since October 2022, and love working with children and young people in a therapeutic and inspiring way.

I am fascinated by the marks made by industry and inventions, and how this has shaped the world at large, but also impacted the social aspects of our lives at a community level. Living at the meeting point of the Amber and Derwent Valleys provides much inspiration for site specific creativity, especially as I live in a village where there was once a world renowned wireworks factory, Richard Johnson & Nephew.

In 2022, I was part of an Arts Council and National Lottery funded residency ‘Ambergate Wireworks – The Part They Played’ at the old wireworks site with fellow artist, Heidi Luker. We explored the personal stories of ex workers and their families, as well as the impact the wire made on the world at large, and responded by creating small scale wire sculptures in an interactive immersive installation. This was in co-production with the Museum Of Making in Derby, with collaborations with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, White Peak Distillery, Ambergate Primary School, Crich Carr Primary School and Ambergate Carnival.

Creative Genre

  • I am a mixed media artist, using wire, paint, puppetry, textiles, collage and printing. I love utilising different skills, as each has its properties and can be applied to suit specific contexts and needs. Nature, its forms and the sense of awe, continually inspire me, and I aim to share this with others.

Work Undertaken

  • I work with many local organisations including The Mighty Creatives
  • Platform Thirty1
  • Fleet Arts
  • Junction Arts
  • Furthest From The Sea
  • AirArts
  • local primary schools and community groups. In 2022 I was involved in a site specific residency 'Ambergate Wireworks - The Part They Played' with Heidi Luker. I have over 14 years of experience in making puppets
  • props and set design for theatre
  • including Angel Heart Theatre. I love a challenge!

Work in Education

  • As a creative mentor with The Mighty Creatives
  • I work one to one with children and young people
  • and have over 20 years of experience in delivering group/class workshops in schools around Derbyshire and the UK
  • using shadow puppetry
  • wire installation
  • textile and paint workshops
  • and also creative consultation.

Portfolio

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