Charitable Work
Bristol School Arts Fund
For more than a decade central government has made cuts to real term funding of schools across the UK. Many don’t have a budget to cover basic art materials for their students. Children are having to submit GCSE coursework on A4 photocopy paper and create their paintings using powder paint alone! Research shows that consequently, there has been a steep reduction in the arts provision provided in state-funded secondary schools. Fewer students have the opportunity to engage in the arts leading to fewer enrolling in these subjects at A-level or university.
In 2023, Luke Jerram awarded seventeen secondary schools and Alternative Learning Provisions across Bristol, with over £15,000 to spend on trips to exhibitions, art clubs, sensory sessions, high-quality equipment, materials and visiting-artist workshops.
In 2020, Luke Jerram also awarded £11,000 to seven secondary schools across Bristol to spend on art materials, arts awards for students, photographic equipment and school trips. The seven schools awarded in 2020 were: Ashton Park School, Bristol Cathedral Choir School, City Academy Bristol, Fairfield High School, Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Oasis Academy Brislington and Merchants Academy.
Dreamtime Fellowship
Initiated in 2019 Luke Jerram set up and funded the annual Dreamtime Fellowship to support recent art graduates in his home city of Bristol.
Working with Spike Island Arts studios the selected artist has 24-hour access to their own studio space at Spike Island for a year. They are also granted Spike Associates membership, which offers free access to regular talks, studio visits from artists, critics and curators, and peer-to-peer learning and support. The selected artist also receives a bursary of £5,000 and three one-to-one mentoring sessions with Luke Jerram throughout the year. For several artists the award has allowed their practice to continue, to grow and to develop, whilst acting as an island of security, providing a stepping stone onto the next opportunity.
The award is advertised annually through Luke’s social media and via Spike Island.
Transforming Bokamoso Arts Centre
In 2019 Luke Jerram funded the transformation of the outside of the Bokamoso Arts Centre in Maokeng Kroonstad, South Africa. Working with Sello Molefi, they worked with a local artist and community to transform the building from plain concrete box to a colourful and inviting place.
Coronavirus Sculptures sold for Charity
This model of SARS Cov-2– COVID-19 was commissioned 8 weeks before the pandemic by a university in America to reflect their current and future research, and its focus on solving global challenges.
Luke says: “This artwork is a tribute to the scientists and medical teams who are working collaboratively across the world to try to slow the spread of the virus. It is vital we attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus by working together globally, so our health services can manage this pandemic.”
“Helping to communicate the form of the virus to the public, the artwork has been created as an alternative representation to the artificially coloured imagery received through the media. In fact, viruses have no colour as they are smaller than the wavelength of light.”
An edition of 5 of these artworks are being made and sold to museums and private collectors, with all profits going to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who are assisting developing countries deal with the fallout of the pandemic.
Since this first edition was made, a larger version of SARS CoV-2 has been created, and sculptures of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine. Through the sale of these works, so far over £55,000 has been raised for MSF.
GAIA – Earth artwork
In August 2021, Luke worked with the Woodland Trust and the Freedom Festival in Hull, to present his Earth artwork, GAIA. Over 1000 small trees were given away for the public to take home and plant and at the end of the festival the trees from within Hull Minster were planted across the region leaving a positive legacy.
Museum of the Moon
In 2021, Luke teamed up with the St.Mungos to raise money for their charity fighting homelessness. The Museum of the Moon was presented in Bristol Cathedral and in 18 days, over 65,000 visitors came through the doors to see the artwork. Thanks to the many thousands who donated so freely during their visit, we have been able to raise £15,000 for the charity.
Lamorna Hooker, St Mungo’s, said: “We are delighted that Luke Jerram chose to support St Mungo’s with the Museum of the Moon in Bristol this summer. It has been an amazing opportunity to introduce St Mungo’s to so many new people and we are honoured to have been associated with such an incredible exhibition. Your generous donations will help us to support even more people who are experiencing homelessness in Bristol; to support people in their recovery journey and prevent homelessness in the future.”
Solar Streetlighting in Sierra Leone
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Luke is working in Freetown, Sierra Leone in collaboration with their ARISE programme.
Helping to empower local communities they worked with local teams to install 21 solar powered LED streetlights within the informal settlements (sometimes referred to as slums) of Freetown. They installed the permanent lighting in public areas including water collection areas, alleyways, and toilets.
Collaborating with local artists to create paper lanterns around ARISE themes of safety, education, work, play and pride, they were paraded through Freetown as part of a streetlighting opening ceremony. The 60 small LED lights used to illuminate the lanterns were then given away to the participating children afterwards enabling them to navigate at night more safely and do their homework in the evenings.
A documentary film and audio recording describing the journey of this project is being made by Cinematica Media which will then form part of a new large scale arts installation to be presented back in the UK, later this year.
Archway School Arts Fund
In 2022 Luke set up an annual arts fund for students of the comprehensive secondary school he used to attend in Stroud. Each year, art material vouchers are to be given by staff to selected students of year groups 10-13, with an additional special project fund made available for A-level students.
Other
Each year staff at Luke Jerram Ltd decide which charities they’d like the company to support. Over the years these include:
ArtsSpace LifeSpace – new lighting for their exhibition space.
Help Bristol’s Homeless
1625 Independent People
Room13 Hareclive
Bristol Soup Run Trust
The Grand Appeal
Creative Youth Network
Aid Box Community
Refuge
The Vench
