Sam Wonfor, Cultured North East

The creative legacy of North East artist and teacher Barbara Kennard is set to inspire future generations, following the donation of her printing press to Northern Print’s new inclusive learning space in the Ouseburn, Newcastle.

The press - central to her 30-year printmaking career - will now help children, adult learners and artists with additional needs discover the same joy she found in the medium.

Barbara, who died in September aged 76 after a fall, developed a deep love for the region after moving from Hampshire to Woodside, Ryton, in 1987. While working as a primary school teacher and special educational needs specialist, she became increasingly drawn to the culture, industry and landscapes of the North East, later capturing them in her work after completing a Fine Art degree at Sunderland University in 1993.

Her prints reflected everything from the area’s mining heritage to Iron Age rock art in the Cheviots, the expanse of Hadrian’s Wall and the modern lines of Sage Gateshead – as The Glasshouse was formerly known. She was particularly captivated by the industrial strength and beauty of the Angel of the North, which became a recurring motif in her work.

Now, thanks to her family, Barbara’s printing press will continue its life at Print Space, Northern Print’s new teaching hub designed for all ages and abilities. Her son Ben transported the press 350 miles from Hampshire, reconnecting it with the region that shaped so much of her artistic identity.

Her daughter, Julia Bullas, said the donation perfectly captured her mother’s spirit: “Mum would have loved the fact her press was going to help inspire future generations in the North East which inspired so much of her own work - she’d be absolutely tickled by it.

“As a teacher she was dedicated to giving all the children she worked with the very best chance, finding creative ways to engage them in sometimes very challenging environments… She took that love of teaching into her art and never missed an opportunity to impart a bit of her knowledge and passion for it to all who came to her exhibitions.”

Barbara was a long-standing and much-loved member of Northern Print, contributing to the organisation’s 2016 Guinness World Record linocut, and volunteering to teach wood engraving at Cherryburn, the birthplace of Thomas Bewick. She was known among fellow artists for her warmth, enthusiasm and willingness to share her craft.

For the organisation, the gift carries both emotional and practical significance. Anna Wilkinson, director at Northern Print, said: “The arrival of the press with Ben was a special moment. There are lots of us who knew and worked with Barbara over many years - she was well thought of and a good friend to many.

“The donation of Barbara’s press is a wonderful addition to the specialist facilities in our new learning space. It will mean that many more people will have the opportunity to be inspired by the art-making experiences that Barbara loved so much.”