We are very pleased to announce that Paul Evans will be our resident artist working in the Castlegate area during the course of 2015.  His brief is to explore how art, artists and culture can infiltrate and animate a place, and to explore different possibilities and make connections with existing and new communities. There'll be opportunities to meet Paul throughout his residency, and he will be a key part of the Vibrancy Event planned for the area on 20/21 June this year. This project is supported by The Engaged University Programme at The University of Sheffield. Paul will have the use of one of our Exchange Place studios in the heart of the Castlegate area for the duration of this project.

Paul has recently been on our 'ask the experts' panel over at Studio 54, our artist development site. Here is a bit about Paul ahead of his first residency blog:

'Paul Evans originally studied philosophy at the University of Sheffield and has lived in Sheffield ever since. He went on to take a degree in Fine Art (painting) at Sheffield Hallam University, after which he and two friends set up the graphic design company Vertebrate Graphics (now VG), a studio specialising in the outdoor leisure industries. VG continues to be a successful business. After working at VG for over 7 years as creative director, Paul left the company in 2005 in order to pursue an independent career as an artist and has since built up a multi-disciplinary/multi-portfolio practice. Often working in collaboration, Paul has worked with leading academics from Cardiff University, Manchester University and the University of Sheffield. These collaborative projects have resulted in a substantial body of work that often focusses on the relationship between humans, animals and the natural environment. Paul has also collaborated with a number of award-winning poets, perhaps most enduringly on the landscape painting and poetry project The 7 Wonders which is still ongoing. Paul reckons his area of expertise lies mainly in his experience to conceive of, develop and manage numerous projects, often happening concurrently and often with many different creative and non-creative partners involved, which makes him describe his practice as ‘the art of juggling’ Paul has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards including the Eyestorm Gallery Award for painting (2007) and was Leverhulme Trust artist in Residence in Cardiff University (2010).'

To find out more about Paul, go to his website here.