About the Project

We Are All Derbyshire is a county-wide celebration of the people of Derbyshire through a series of portraits. More than this, it is a project about community and a celebration of the good in the world. Derbyshire residents have been involved at every stage. When the portraits are complete, they will be exhibited in venues across the county before being donated to the libraries and community groups which nominated the sitters. 

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Proudly Working With Derbyshire Libraries

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Libraries are at the heart of their communities, making them the perfect places to connect with the people of the county. Councillor Barry Lewis, Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change, said:

“Our libraries are at the heart of our communities and we are thrilled to welcome Melissa as she pays a remarkable and lasting tribute to the wonderful people who are so important in making those communities what they are.” 

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A Project a Year in the Making

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We Are All Derbyshire is a project that has been a year in the making. Warmed by the community spirit in her village, our artist Melissa Speed became inspired to create portraits reflecting the good in the world. She recognised that the landscapes are so beautiful they tend to overshadow the people, but was witnessing the difference they were making to those landscapes and to the communities and the lives of those within them, as well as for visitors. From then it was months of planning, researching, and organising to get to the official launch of We Are All Derbyshire in the summer of 2024.  

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Melissa wanted it to be a collection of the people, for the people, chosen by the people. She also wanted it to represent all areas within the county. To do this, she researched and reached out to community groups across the county and the library service. A former librarian herself, she recognised that they are still a central part of communities and would be the perfect places to enable people to get involved and share stories of people making a difference in their areas. Take a look at the upcoming events at libraries on our home page to find out where you can get involved, or contact Melissa by emailing melissa@weareallderbyshire.com if your community group would like to be involved.

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The project would not have been possible without vital funding to help cover the costs of a large scale project like this. Visit our Backers page to see who helped make We Are All Derbyshire happen, and click the 'Back this project' button at the top of that page if you would like to chip in. 

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To find out more about Melissa's other work, visit her website.

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