A Majestic Event in Devizes

The exhibition showcased art produced by children at three local state-funded primary schools – Southbroom St James’, Trinity, and Wansdyke – after they worked with professional artist Joanna May and historian David Evans to explore Devizes’ historic links with the monarchy. David runs the Bible Study and is an altar server at St John’s, which is part of the same parish as St Mary’s.  

Disaster almost struck when Joanna was struck with Covid just six days before the exhibition was due to open. Getting the show on the road in time therefore required some fancy last-minute footwork from the rest of the team, particularly from Caroline Straw who stood in as the artist and created the Jubilee Crown at almost no notice.  

Shirley Urwin, who was the lead organiser for the exhibition, said, “It was lovely to see the young people in the schools engage with the workshops and they came up with some fantastic drawings based on what they’d learned. They all put hard work and effort into it, and it was a fitting tribute to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  

“It was also quite a spectacle to see all the work up in the church given the size of the exhibition and lovely to see St Mary’s being used again as a performance and arts venue having had little use for these purposes at the height of the pandemic.”  

The Revd Jonathan Poston, the Rector of St John with St Mary, Devizes, added, “It was wonderful to involve three local schools in creating this artwork. This is exactly the kind of activity we want to encourage in St Mary’s to promote creativity in our local community.