Wakefield artist’s colourful glimpse of mining life comes to the NCMME

NATIONAL COAL MINING MUSEUM FOR ENGLAND / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 18, 2021 / Wakefield artist, Seanna Doonan tells the story of Wakefield’s mining community with her Shine a Light exhibition, a vibrant collection of work depicting miners at work, at home and at play.

Growing up in a family of musicians, Seanna is inspired by the folk songs of childhood, tales of the Miners’ Strike and the social struggles of the city’s working class. She explains: “It’s impossible to look at the history of Wakefield without acknowledging the deep mining roots embedded within, almost everyone has a story to tell. I’ve always found these stories so interesting, so important, that I’ve naturally wanted to create an honest portrayal of that time, that community.”

Rebecca Hudson, Curator of Art & Photography at the National Coal Mining Museum said “Seanna’s process often begins with a story, photo, or memory, which form an initial sketch. Using pen and ink, the illustrations develop and lead onto a process of experimentation using print, paint, and digital colour. Her work is very different to much of the work we have in our art collection and it is always good to bring in a different perspective of the mining community”

The Shine a Light Exhibition will run until 2 January 2022 and admission is FREE.