Hazel Soper
Fine Art student, Hazel, received the Make it Happen Fund to support a pop-up exhibition.
The project
Hazel applied for funding for an arts project through the Make it Happen Fund. HAGG was a pop-up exhibition of contemporary sculptural, digital and audio artwork, taking place at Dukes Hagg Wood on the 1st and 2nd June 2024. Audience members were invited to reconnect with nature and experience artworks integrated into the landscape, using an outdoor setting to forge individual encounters between the atmospheric and the tangible. The exhibition offered space for contemplation and exploration, thinking about layered histories from the area creating a unique experience of place and time. Four local emerging artists were featured; Hazel Soper, Lizzie Lovejoy, Cody Sowerby, and Adam Soper.
How did you use the Make it Happen Fund?
The Make it Happen Fund supported the creation and delivery of an outdoor woodland art exhibition showcasing the work of emerging artists. The funding covered essential costs such as materials for site-specific installations, transportation of artworks to the woodland setting, signage and publication of an exhibition zine.
What impact did the funding have?
The funding was crucial in transforming the concept into a fully realised public exhibition, and helping to ensure that early-career artists could participate without financial barriers. It not only allowed us to support emerging artists with resources and visibility, but also created opportunities for the local community to engage with contemporary art in a unique natural setting. Visitors reported that the woodland setting added depth to their experience, encouraging reflection on the relationship between art and nature. For the artists, the project provided valuable professional experience in producing work for an outdoor context and reaching new audiences. Without the Make it Happen Fund, the scale, accessibility, and overall impact of the exhibition would have been significantly reduced.