Funded: £15,817.50
As part of LEEDS 2023, the city’s Year of Culture, the stunning Yinka Shonibare sculpture Hibiscus Rising was unveiled in memory of the life and legacy of David Oluwale.
The David Oluwale Memorial Association is dedicated to telling David Oluwale’s story, so they were delighted when world-famous artist, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, heard David’s story and agreed to create Hibiscus Rising, a ten-metre hibiscus flower sculpture.
But to ensure this gift to the city had a beautiful place to bloom, they also wanted to raise funds to create a beautiful, practical and accessible space for Hibiscus Rising – a space for people to come together and connect, a space for the city to remember the past and imagine a more inclusive future.
They used the Art Fund’s crowdfunding platform for museums and galleries: Art Happens, and I worked via the Art Fund to provide additional support and guidance on the campaign structure. This also meant the museum could benefit from the Art Fund’s zero-fee fundraising as well as their support with creating and fulfilling rewards.
Since funding:
Hibiscus Rising sculpture from above, showing Aire Park. LEEDS 2023. Artwork by Yinka Shonibare, commemorating David Oluwale. Octovision Media. 
Group dancing in front of Hibiscus Rising sculpture at launch weekend. LEEDS 2023. Photo credit: David Lindsay 
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Cllr Abigail Marshall-Katung and Dr Emily Zobel Marshall from DOMA in front of Hibiscus Rising. LEEDS 2023. Photo credit: David Lindsay
On Saturday 25 November 2023, Leeds 2023 and DOMA held a day of free activities to mark the unveiling of the sculpture in its Aire Park setting, with music, workshops, poetry, guided walks, and food.
Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, the co-chair of the David Oluwale Memorial Association, said “I think this is going to be our Angel of the North, it will be a landmark sculpture.”