Vision for the Pillars

Since the Art Commissioning Group of the Minster Church of St Andrew, Plymouth, began the commissioning of a sculpture of Andrew the fisherman in 2015, many of you have asked how you could contribute individually to the project. We are pleased to announce this public appeal for funding that will provide the opportunity for doing so.

Our aim is to raise A MINIMUM OF £10,000, which will represent a major contribution to the overall cost of funding the commission for an original, exciting , iconic work of art for the people of Plymouth, commemorating the special relationship between the Minster Church of St Andrew and the City of Plymouth. 

By using this ‘Crowdfunding’ option, we are allowing Plymouth City Council to become one of the people who may pledge on our project with money raised through local development. This can be to a maximum of 50% (up to £5,000) of a project's target and they will pledge sometime after we reach 25%. So hopefully, if Plymouth City Council pledges, we will reach our target of £10,000 with their help.

We would like YOU to share our vision through your generous investment in the project. When you invest in this commission, the work of art will be created and seen by thousands of people, both citizens of Plymouth and visitors to our wonderful city, for years to come.

We would like future generations to know that YOU made this possible by your gift to "The Vision for the Pillars” and therefore your name will be celebrated on the 'Roll of Benefactors', which will be on view in the Minster.

The impressive work of art will stand on the pillars situated on the boundary between the Minster and the City. The photo above shows the pillars today, and the photo below is our 'Vision for the Pillars', with a wax maquette of the proposed sculpture superimposed on the pillars.

The Public Art Officer of Plymouth, Jodie Bishop, commented "The site chosen is a key location within our city centre and ... I am excited about the potential opportunity to commission a well thought out and fantastic piece of public art that could become an iconic feature in our city landscape."

The proposed sculpture will be a life-size figure in bronze (or bronze resin) of a fisherman casting a net across the pillars, forming an arch over the people passing underneath; thus linking the city and the minster, signifying the special relationship between the Minster Church of St Andrew and the City of Plymouth.

The design recognises the long history of Plymouth as a busy fishing port and that the minster is dedicated to Andrew, a fisherman, who was a disciple of Jesus.

The arch formed by the sculpture leads to the RESURGAM door of the minster (seen in the photo below), thus the net's rise will echo the resurgence from the ashes of both the minster and the city following the blitz. 

Art and culture are at the heart of Plymouth’s ongoing development and regeneration. Our sculpture is recognized as a significant contribution to this programme and is generously supported by the city’s Culture Board.

Dom Jinks, Director of Plymouth Culture, when giving his support said "This commission is an excellent example of a quality public art project in plan, process and production. There has been a true spirit of quality partnership. I support and fully endorse this project and have allocated strategic partnership funds from Plymouth Culture accordingly.”

We have also received valuable support from our other partners during the commissioning process, in particular the City Council and the Plymouth College of Art.

With your help, the unveiling of the sculpture will be on 30 November, which is St Andrew's day.

So we would encourage you to donate via this Crowdfunder web site, but remember that your pledge will not be redeemed, and no payment will leave your account, unless our target of £10,000 is reached. 

More information about the project can be found on the project's web site at http://artattheminster.org.