About this Event
Kelham Island and Neepsend are among Sheffield’s best places to explore the city's art scene. Alongside some of the city’s best street work, the area supports a lively and growing community of painters, sculptors and photographers working from studios, galleries and unexpected spaces. This two-hour walk offers a sharp, informed introduction to that scene.
The walk is led by Simon Wigglesworth-Baker, a sculptor and painter who lives and works in Neepsend, and follows a personal route through the neighbourhood. You’ll see a carefully chosen selection of street art and visit studios and exhibition spaces, including Kelham Island Art Collective (KIAC), home to over 25 artists, where Simon was one of the founders, and a key hub for contemporary art in the area. Artists associated with KIAC include Ethan Lemon, Kieran Flynn and Sara Prinsloo.
Along the way, Simon shares first-hand stories from life as a working artist in Sheffield — from earlier years teaching art (with former pupils including Olly Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon) to a central role in the creative and community life of Kelham Island. There are also a few unexpected stories, including a family connection to British animation and the CIA.
The walk also introduces the work of Gordon Snee, runner-up to David Hockney in the 1967 John Moores Prize and now one of Britain’s overlooked modern artists, whose work Simon represents.
There is far more art than any single walk can cover, and every tour is different. You may encounter Victorian sculpture by Alfred Stevens alongside street art by Phlegm, Kid Acne, Bubba 2000, Jo Peel, JupiterFab, JAW, Jo Genders and Fem Sorcell, as well as work by popular Sheffield figures such as Pete McKee. Other stops include community art projects, religious iconography inside Church, local history told through murals, and the Gardener’s Rest pub with its distinctive beer garden and regularly changing exhibitions. The route varies depending on which exhibitions are running, group size, the artists at work that day, and the weather.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
By the Bessemer Converter outside Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, United Kingdom
GBP 11.55
