get Kenny at the Kop

I've got 3 pieces of my Liverpool art at an upcoming exhibition called Mad about Liverpool, which opens Thursday 17th January, in Madelainartz upstairs in Clayton Square. I'm going to launch a mini version of my St. Kenny, which will be priced at £70. Half the money will go to The Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC), who have a shop opposite Anfield. The plaques will be for sale at their shop as well as Madelainartz. Her Exhibition, Mad About Liverpool 2013, got a mention in Mondays Echo I've been campaigning to get my sculpture put up at Anfield for 2 years now, and hope to sell 250 miniatutures of my St. Kenny, which will allow me to one day see a 12 foot version of my  Kenny in stainless steel and granite at Anfield. Anyone who buys one will be helping the families of the 96, AND sponsoring the sculpture at the stadium. Ambitious, but as Shankly said, 'Aim for the sky and you'll reach the ceiling, aim for the ceiling and you'll stay on the floor.'
Here's the first test casting in a bronze finish, I'm really happy with it.

so heres what I'm gonna do

Everyone who's seen the St Kenny has loved it. I had Kev Sapmson come over during the exhibition. He read my poem, and I took his pic with it.
Lots of people said that they would buy a small version of it if I had one. I've done a fair bit of carving, most recently, I did the 'Sweet Melissa', which commemorates the womens golf at Royal Liverpool this year. I also carved a central piece, for a Japanese flag I made last year called 'Liverpool for Japan.' It was sold at art auction, together with 13 other artists work, including Willy Russell and Adrian Henry, amongst other peers. I carved the Liverbird with the Japanese symbol of Japan in its beak, and set it against my interpretation of a cracked and crazed land with waters flowing through. The money raised, went directly to help the victims of the Japanese Tsunami. Its hard to tell from the picture I've posted of it, but the carving is extremely delicate, inspired by Japanese Netsuke.
So I'm about to start work on another. The 'St. Kenny', and I'm going to make a limited edition casting. I'm setting the pricepoint to reflect all the expenses I've had to this point. I'm giving half of the money to the HJC, the other half will pay for the mould-making, materials, etc, and will hopefully provide some shopping trolleys full of food from Tesco's to feed a struggling artists ever growing family while I'm doing it all. I'm carving up a miniature version, and I should be ready to start producing them in December. I want to help those affected by the tragic events 23 years ago, and raise awareness of my sculpture, which one day will hopefully adorn Anfield.
You'll get a dinner plate size St. Kenny, in a pewter finish, signed by me, and a copy of my poem, which will act as your certificate of authenticity. I'm going to make 250, and I think I may try to get a hold of Kenny, see if he will sign them too!
If anyone wants one, they will be £75 each, with £40 going to the HJC, to help pay for their deliverance of Justice.
If you are reading this, please share on FB, twitter etc, and spread the word. JFT96.
Please read the rest of my blog....its not that long, but I've been at this for 18 months now in one way or another. I'm happy with the way I want it to conclude, and I hope I can get everyones support. Contact me on
terryhayes65@gmail.com
@terryhayes65  on twitter, but I hardly ever use it.
Thanks

Head-turner, down by the Tate

 I've just had an exhibition of my art down in the Albert Dock for the Liverpool Biennial. I got great publicity for it. The title of the exhibition was 'Deliverance', and the signature piece was a poem I wrote in the days after the findings of the Independent Panel. It was a written response to an emotional few days. It seemed that after 23 years, Justice, may be on its way for the families of the 96. I got a great mention in the Liverpool Echo, where I was one of their two selections for the 'Long Night', and I was honoured to be mentioned in the company of an incredible photographer, whose work I've admired immensely over the years.
 http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2012/10/19/the-long-night-of-the-liverpool-biennial-features-work-by-wirral-artist-terry-hayes-and-american-photographer-annie-liebovitz-100252-32061118/

They ran a great picture of the Liverbird I made, in which I printed my poem onto an old scroll, the Liverbird representing the people, the scroll representing the Justice sought.
I was trying to set everything up in the Unit I had been graciously awarded by The Independents, who had been given the empty unit to be turned into gallery space by the Albert Dock Company, when a face appeared, pressed to the door. 'Thats Kenny' he said, 'Can I come in?'. Yes I said. 'Can I touch it?', yeah....sure I said. 'Can I kiss it?', then he did. A wonderful older couple came into the unit, and while things were still scattered all around, they marvelled at the St. Kenny, read my poem, and left after 10 minutes of me telling them the story of how I spent close to a year trying to get my sculpture of Kenny errected at Anfield. I told them about the Manchester football museum too, and I was deeply moved when I returned home the following day to lovely email from them. And can I say, I had hundreds of people, from all round the world come in, photograph themselves with the piece, and heap more praise, and cause more delight than I could have ever imagined. I'll leave you with an extract from the email I got, genuine and heartfelt emotions, about a great man, who has done as much, if not more, for the Club and the City and people of Liverpool, than anyone who has gone before.
Mikes voice was not alone.

hi terry spoke to you on thursday about your exhibition starting friday ,after meeting you my wife and i went along to radio merseyside and left datails about you and tour plans about your artwork ,we said you have a piece of artwork called the saint kenny and the football museum in manchester were after it .we told them that it should stay here in the city,they took your details and said they would follow it up ,lets hope they do. also called into radio city and did the same with your details they also said they would do same, i am trying to email neil atkinson who has a radio show on city on a  friday  called   the anfield rap its a programme  about all things   LFC ,so lets hope you get off the ground and  up and running,so good luck to you terry  we both wish what you wish yourself. look foreward to your next showing,bye

1st and 3rd picture copyright Gary Hunt.

Read all about it!

Got some great publicity earlier in the year. Shared a page, together with a new poem written by Dave Kirby, which ominously appeared on page 13 of the Liverpool Echo, the day of the FA Cup final! Following week, I was totally startled to open up the Wirral News, and see myself on the cover. I had no idea, and was completely shocked!

Got quite a bit of interest from a couple of people back then, and had 2 offers to buy it, both from bar owners. The original intention was to help raise some funds for the HJC, and tempted as I was to get a quick sale, I never saw the St. Kenny as an ornament behind some bar.

The new Football Museum in Manchester was opening around that time, and I received a communication saying they would have it for their display. I emailed them, and told them, 'Great'. I also said I'd want a donation made to the HJC if they wanted to add it to their collection, and given Kennys legendary status in the game, I thought at the time there could be no finer location for display. I then received word that they would take it, but only as a 6 month or so 'loan', a temporary exhibit. Thats as far as it got with them. So after a few stops in various parts of Liverpool, the St. Kenny has been in my front room since September. By then, I'd developed another idea to help raise some funds, for a most worthy cause.

The 'St. Kenny'. Another step in my campaign to get Kenny at the Kop.

When I looked down at the image I'd just cut on the fretsaw, I got that creative buzz back for the project. After 12 long months of trying to get a 'larger-than-life' sculpture erected at Anfield stadium, with emails, rights lawers, departments, inter-departments, departmental assistants, departmental heads, red tape like you wouldn't want to deal with, and lots of pleasant but negative responses, I nearly said F**k it. But then, I thought, 'F**k it', I'm just going to do it. So here he is. I'm calling the medal the 'St. Kenny', and I'm hoping it will bring us luck in Saturdays final. Its on display at the Liverpool Echo Office from Thursday 3rd to Wed 8th May, and then its off to Cafe Sports England for a few weeks. I'm hoping someone with deep pockets will give a few quid for the finished piece, and I'd like to split any money between the HJC and the Marina Dalglish cancer charity.

No matter what happens in the final on Saturday, I want my sculpture up at Anfield, 12 foot tall, in granite and stainless steel, two natural materials I associate with Dalglish's tough and steely character. But for now, I'll go stick my sign on the bottom of the finished piece, say goodnight to it for the last time, tommorow its going to a new home, and my wife can finally have the kitchen back!