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75 Memorial Flames selected for HMDT’s national exhibition

Artworks by groups from across the UK have been selected by an expert panel to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

75 Memorial Flames selected for HMDT’s national exhibition

75 Memorial Flames have been chosen to represent each year since the liberation of Auschwitz and will be displayed at an exhibition which will be unveiled at the UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day 2020.

‘Stand Together in Unity’ by Irena Sendlers Polish School

More than 300 groups from across the country registered to take part in our nationwide project which encourages groups of all kinds to come together to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.

Memorial Flames have been created in a wide variety of community settings, including schools, craft groups, prisons, faith groups, local businesses and libraries, with participants learning more about the Holocaust before creating a personal response through art. 

HMDT’s expert panel which chose the 75 final Memorial Flames included: Sarah Donaldson, arts editor at the Observer;  Nick Sharratt, renowned illustrator and author; Kathleen Soriano, Chair of the Liverpool Biennial, and judge on SkyArts Artist of the Year; Anita Peleg, HMDT Trustee and daughter of Naomi Blake, a sculptor and Holocaust survivor; and Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Full details and photographs of the selected Memorial Flames will be available on the HMDT website in January. 

Memorial Flames which haven’t been selected for the UK exhibition will be included in HMD activities across the country, recognising the fantastic work of participants who captured the theme for HMD 2020: Stand Together

Sarah Donaldson, arts editor for the Observer, said: ‘The 75 Memorial Flames project is a brilliant project that shows how effective art can be in bringing together people from all walks of life to engage on a particular issue. We’ve seen entries from school children, youth groups, prison inmates, interfaith groups, craft groups, and others, and the quality and diversity of the responses has been really impressive.’

Author and Illustrator, Nick Sharratt, said: ‘It’s more important than ever not to forget the history of the Holocaust, and this exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that. I’ve been very excited to see how many different interpretations of the brief there are, with each group using the central flame idea and making it their own. The number of different artistic techniques used has been very impressive and I can’t wait to see all the 75 Memorial Flames come together at the UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day.’

Kathleen Soriano, SkyArts Artist of the Year judge said: ‘What really makes the artworks produced for the 75 Memorial Flames project special, are the remarkable stories of those affected by the Holocaust, which are told through the art itself. Each piece explores something different, from specific individuals who were imprisoned in concentration camps, to people who helped others escape and the theme of Stand Together. To me, the theme of Stand Together means remembering together and that’s what this project is helping to achieve.’

Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: ‘It is hugely encouraging to have received so many submissions to this project and from so many different types of groups. The project has truly been nationwide and at a time when we know identity-based hostility is increasing, it is heartening to see so many groups and communities come together and pay tribute to those affected by the Holocaust in this way.’

The 75 Memorial Flames project was launched earlier this with the creation of a sculpture by artist and survivor of the Holocaust, Maurice Blik, who was liberated from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a child. The project is part of a wider programme of events to enable people to take part in HMD 2020 and learn from the horrors of genocide.

The full list of organisations selected for the national exhibition are:

1st Redditch Girls’ Brigade

Alva Academy (Arty Stuff)

Arena Academy – Year 8 – CORE Education Trust

AVOW

Belmont Castle Academy

Bennett Memorial School

Bishop Martin C of E School

Bournemouth School

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Brighton Jewish Arts Society

Brownhills School

Crafty Ladies

Creative Friends

Crosskeys College – Coleg Gwent

Deerbolt Mental Health Reading and Art Therapy Group

Dowlais Quilters

Dowlais Visual Art Group

Duchess’s Community High School

Durham High School

Emmanuel Middle School

English Cabaret

Erskine Community Garden

Good Space

Guernsey Islands Federation of Women Institutes

Guernsey Ladies’ College

Henry Box School

Heyford Park Free School – Brooke Green

HMP Cardiff Art Class

HMP Frankland Art Group

HMP Kirkham Inside Art Group

HMP Long Lartin

Holywell School

Horndean Technology College (HTC) students

Hydebank Wood College

Irena Sendlers Polish School, Hull

Jersey Holocaust Memorial Day Committee

Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre

Kelvinbridge Sew&Sews

King David Primary School, Manchester

Lathom Junior School

Leicester Progressive Jewish Congreation

Madstone LTD

Maurice Blik 

Merthyr Central Library

Methodist College Belfast

Mill Green School

Northgate High School Ipswich – Year 9 Students

Oasis Coulsdon

Pennington Junior School

Perton Crafters, Wolverhampton

Projects4Change Youth Project

Queen Marys College Art Students

Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar – Year 13 Art Reps

South Shropshire Interfaith

St Andrew’s CE Primary School

St Edward’s School Poole

St George the Martyr

St Georges RC School

St James’s CE Primary School

St Nicholas parish

Sunderland Libraries Services

The Council of Christians and Jews

The Friendship Circle

The John Wallis Church of England Academy

The Open Centre, Derby

The Rabbit Hole Independent Book Shop Brigg

The Spires College

The Village Shul

Torquay Boys Grammar

Upholland Roby Mill Primary School

Voice of Salam

Wigan Local Authority

Wymott: Voices in Reflection

Yiewsley Baptist Church

Ysgol Maesydderwen