A charcoal drawing illustrating an important development in Ipswich’s waterfront has been donated to a dance space by a Suffolk-based artist.
Back in October, DanceEast welcomed Valerie Irwin and her husband, Cecil, to their headquarters in Foundry Lane to formally accept a piece of her work.
The charcoal drawing shows the construction of Jerwood DanceHouse, where DanceEast has been based since 2009.
It was gifted to the charity as a token of thanks for allowing the use of its Whistler Gallery for Ms Irwin’s ‘Studios from Silos’ exhibition in 2019.
Chief executive Brendan Keaney was presented the donation – and described it as an important record of the evolution of Ipswich’s waterfront.
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He said: “We were so touched to receive this special and thoughtful gift from Valerie.
“We have found a prominent place in our foyer where it can be viewed and enjoyed by everyone visiting the building.”
Ms Irwin specialises in art using in charcoal, coloured chalks and paint for her illustrations, and some of her projects can take months of even years to complete.
She famously documented the redevelopment of Ipswich waterfront over a period of five years.
This focused on the demolition of the old Cranfield’s Mill site, and the eventual construction of the Jerwood DanceHouse at the same spot.
About 4,500 pieces of work from this project are housed at The Hold, in Fore Street.
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Speaking about the project, Ms Irwin said: “I was attracted to the Cranfields site by the movement of two diggers.
“I felt a mixture of being a witness to the loss of the Mill buildings and remembering all the people who had dedicated their working lives to the activities at The Mill.
“I stayed for 15 months drawing the demolition – there was so much to observe and learn. I became completely attached emotionally to the Cranfields site, so when I was invited onto the construction site, I accepted.
“I was also enamoured by the west side of the development with its unusual design. It seemed that great care was being taken in building this area with huge, elegant pillars, each individually built on site.”
“Someone told me I was drawing the Jerwood DanceHouse, with the lift going up each floor, the huge open spaces of the studios and theatre, and the cafe space reaching from the reception through to the Waterfront.”
Ms Irwin, who has Parkinson’s disease, was part of some of the first classes the charity hosted to help people with the condition with their mobility during its first year.
She added: “I found myself at a class in the Wellbeing studio, afterwards talking of the difficulties of living with Parkinson’s and of the joy and benefits that it brought each of us as we shared this unique experience.
“It was only in recent years that I saw the historical significance of my charcoal drawing collection.”
