Public art projects to brighten up Castleford
Friday, June 28, 2024
Three key sites in Castleford are set to get a major artistic upgrade thanks to funding provided by Network Rail.
"These projects will complement the large-scale transformational work being carried out to regenerate Castleford town centre and the riverside.
“Our aim is to make the town centre an even better place to visit and spend time in. These new public artworks will provide attractive eye-catching focal points in the town, and we are excited to see what proposals are put forward.”
Cllr Michael Graham
Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Regeneration
This comes after Wakefield Council announced earlier this month its plan to become a City of Sculpture, as part of a five-year plan to boost tourism called Wakefield district destination management plan (DMP).
The latest funding has been provided to improve key areas around Castleford train station and, in addition to upgraded street lighting and improved CCTV coverage, three sites have been chosen for large-scale art projects.
BEAM, a cultural development organisation working across the North of England, to champion, celebrate and engage with artists and communities, will be project-managing the process of appointing professional artists to each of the three commissions.
Interested artists or artist groups should submit their expressions of interest no later than 9am on 15 July. Shortlisting will take place on 19 July, with interviews scheduled for 29 July.
BEAM will be hosting an online drop-in session on 28 June to answer any questions interested artists might have and are especially keen to hear from local and regional artists, although the project is open to any professional artist with the right to live and work in the UK.
“We’ve got a great offer for visitors and residents. There’s so much in our district, including world class sculpture, the mining museum, theatre, castles and much more. I welcome this latest investment in Castleford and it is so positive that the new public artworks in Castleford will be part of continuing the story of our amazing heritage.
She added: “We have a district wide plan to boost the economic impact of tourism and to support the culture sector, which in common with other areas saw a significant fall in the number of visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We cannot do this alone and this plan sets out how we will work with partners, businesses and organisations to overcome the challenges and make the most of our tourism assets. We aim to be a ‘must visit’ destination by 2029.”
Cllr Michelle Collins
Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport
Installation of the Castleford art will commence in late Autumn, with completion of all projects by Spring 2025 and there will be opportunity for residents and schools to engage with the development of these projects once the preferred artists have been appointed.
BEAM Principal Consultant, Kate Watson, said of the project: “These three large-scale 2D commission opportunities in Castleford are located in some of the town’s busiest connecting routes, so whatever ends up here will be seen by the majority of visitors to the town centre. We are looking forward to hearing from interested artists working in 2D mediums, whether that’s paint, tiles, mosaic, typography or similar– the more creatively inspiring the better.”
For more details, including funding and renumeration please visit www.beam.uk.net/events/