Shaun in the City involves 120 giant sculptures of the much-loved Wallace & Gromit character Shaun being exhibited across Bristol and London in two arts trails during summer 2015.
The major public art project based on Shaun the Sheep will raise money for sick children in hospitals across the UK.
The organisers are encouraging schools and nurseries to take part in a national design challenge to design their own Shaun the Sheep sculpture and invent an innovative way to transport him back to the farm after he gets lost in the city.
The winning design will be decided by public vote, and will be turned into a 5ft sculpture to form part of what organisers believe will be a major tourist attraction and community event. The figure will then be awarded to the winning school.
The other sculptures will be decorated by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park and a range of high-profile artists, designers, celebrities and local talent. Once the exhibitions have finished they will be auctioned to raise money for Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity.
Shaun’s Cracking Ideas Design Challenge has been created in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office and is sponsored by Pasta King.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the Minister for Intellectual Property, said, 'Shaun in the City is an eye-catching and colourful initiative, reinforcing the importance of ideas generation and intellectual property, essential to safeguarding the careers of future British innovators.'
Inkeeping with this idea, settings can obtain a free interactive pack full of creative ideas to engage children, including lesson plans, top tips on how to draw Shaun the Sheep and inspiration for transport inventions.
Amber Janney from Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity explained that the design challenge coincides with the release of Shaun the Sheep’s first feature film and also the Chinese Year of the Sheep.
'This makes it a fantastic time for children across the country to interact with the character whilst at the same time learning about animation, inventions and artistic design.'
The project is primarily aimed at children aged between 4 to 11, but is open to all ages. The Shaun the Sheep Cracking Ideas Design Challenge is now open, and will run until May 2015.
- Settings can register for their free Cracking Ideas Design Challenge packs at www.shauninthecity.org.uk/schools