Girls from Shirebrook Academy to feature in new STEAM Exhibition!

In June 2024, girls from Shirebrook Academy aged 11-15 spent three days exploring local heritage sites, uncovering the stories of inspiring women, Bess of Hardwick who built Hardwick Hall, her Granddaughter Arbella who ran away for love and the powerful women who were the backbone of mining communities. All of which inspired them to share their stories using textiles, electronics, music production and projection.

The students worked with professional artists Rachel Scanlon and Sian Watson-Taylor to create a artworks, which include a new textile banner featuring LEDs, music tracks with recorded sounds and hologram projections, can be seen as part of the This Girl Codes Showcase, which is happening at Hardwick Hall on Sunday 2nd March - Friday 7th March, and Pleasley Pit at Saturday 8th March - Friday 14th March. The exhibition will also feature work from other This Girl Code participants who attended workshops throughout last year.

Both locations will be holding launch events, where visitors can explore the world of digital arts and engineering through a series of fun workshops. These are free to attend and will take place on Sunday, the 2nd of March, at Hardwick Hall and Saturday, the 8th of March, at Pleasley Pit.

This Girl Codes is a Junction Arts program for young people that celebrates historical places and uses art and technology to inspire participants to discover science, engineering, and maths in a fun and creative way.

Launched in 2020, there have been 128 workshops and events over the last four years that have taken place across Bolsover District and North East Derbyshire. The project is open to all but focuses on women’s history as inspiration for creative STEAM activities.

Junction Arts Project Manager Jemma Burton said: “We had an amazing time with the students from Shirebrook Academy, who were all keen to learn, get creative and try new things. This Girl Codes is all about imagination, possibility and creating new narratives in old places, so it’s brilliant to have their amazing digital art displayed at these beautiful heritage sites.

“We hope that even more young people can be inspired by coming along to the showcase and trying out some of the activities themselves. Thank you to our heritage partners National Trust Hardwick & Stainsby Mill and Pleasley Pit and thank you to Shirebrook Academy for coming along with us on this journey!”

Nick Freer from Shirebrook Academy said: “It was an absolute pleasure working alongside Junction Arts in the Summer of 2024. ‘This Girl Codes’ has given our students the chance to see the development of a project from start to finish, including the initial planning and design stages. The girls loved working with a variety of different artists and using exciting media and processes.

“They produced textile work and experimented with music, sound production, photography, and even VR. They thoroughly enjoyed visiting the local sites of scientific and artistic influence and exploring the personal history and stories of those from times gone by. All would have loved for there to have been more days of exploration, and they have used their newfound knowledge and understanding to inspire their artistic endeavours in school. The girls saw first-hand the role of women at these locations and how these trailblazers have paved the way for today's generations.”

The This Girl Showcase is a free exhibition, and no booking is required. At Hardwick Hall, non-National Trust members will have to pay the usual admission fee and parking charges.