Holocaust Memorial Day 2016 – The art of heroism

To mark next week’s Holocaust Memorial Day, an ambitious project entitled Flames for Humanity’s Heroes saw 12 groups from across the UK create artwork that tells the stories of heroes who refused to stand by when faced by Nazi atrocities.

Here’s a selection of some of the project’s most powerful pieces…

Run Resist, Defy, Speak out and Act

By students aged 11-18 from Downed School, Bristol This large mosaic combines work by many students in different mediums to honour Hasan Hasanovic, a survivor of the genocide in Bosnia.

White Rose

By prisoners from HM Prison Kirkham, Lancashire This large mosaic honours the White Rose Group, a resistance movement by five students at Munich University in 1942.

The New Arrival

By a group of adults with learning disabilities from Works4Me, Rugby This tableau honours Sydney and Golda Bourne, who fostered the 13 year old Susanne Kenton, a refugee who had arrived on the Kindertransport programme.

Rising up with Kindness: Blessed by Love and Jewish Traditions

By Michael Sobell Centre pottery group This ceramic sculpture was made by participants in their 80s and 90s to honour a member of their group, Siggy Ciffer, a Holocaust survivor who survived starvation and abuse but remained positive and generous, even giving others all his food when he was starving.

A Flame for Carl and Rwanda

By students from Sawston Village College, Cambridgeshire Students worked with artist Ricki Outis to honour Carl Wilkens, the only US citizen to stay in the Rwandan capital of Kigali during the 1994 genocide.

Behind the Books

By students aged 11-18 from Retford Oaks Academy, Nottinghamshire Honouring Miep Gies, who helped Anne Frank and her family in hiding.

Back to the Future – Irena Sendlerowa

By the Institute for Conflict Research, Belfast, and former service personnel who did not stand by as they experienced the conflict in Northern Ireland They worked with artist David Esler to create this stained-glass window telling the story of Irena Sendlerowa, a social worker who helped 2,000 children to escape from the ghettos.