Volunteers wanted as Dewsbury’s blueprint ambitions for public art gets underway
Volunteers are invited to get involved with bringing public arts to Dewsbury’s Town Centre as part of our Creative Town Arts Programme.
The Creative Town Arts Plan
The Creative Town Arts Plan is an integral part of our 10 year blueprint vision for the town.
In 2019 Cabinet Members endorsed the Public Art Plan for Dewsbury Town Centre and approved a budget of £200,000 to bring the plan to life.
The plan, written by Creative Scene, shows how the town centre could benefit from public art and how local residents, businesses and community groups could get involved in the commissioning process.
We have now tasked Beam, an experienced arts organisation, to move the programme forward over the next three years with a variety of permanent and temporary artwork installations in the town.
Beam are inviting local people, businesses, artists, creatives and community groups to get involved and help ensure future artworks weave Dewsbury’s rich heritage with the town’s ambitious future.
Cllr Peter McBride said:
“This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone with an interest in the arts, the future of Dewsbury or both, to get involved.
Public artwork – in its many forms – creates conversations and this investment is an absolutely key part of our 10 year vision to regenerate the town centre as part of the Dewsbury Blueprint.
The creative renewal of the town will make it an attractive and interesting place for people to come and shop, visit and explore.”
Get involved
As well as supporting local, emerging artists to develop and grow their practice the team want to encourage young people to engage with arts through playfulness, fun, colour, physical activity and wellbeing. Artworks could also be creative but serve a purpose, such as signage or street furniture.
There are a number of ways to get involved and you can find out more, or register to be kept informed, on the Beam website.
More information
More information on the Blueprint, and Dewsbury Town Centre Art Plan.
Beam has recently been part of the delivery team for the #Heartyourtown arts programme in Dewsbury and Huddersfield.
I think this is an excellent idea. I think it is brilliant to have artwork in the centre of town – and in cafes and markets, as well. I fully agree with the idea of bringing art to residents in an accessible way, so that people who may not necessarily visit art galleries can benefit from it. Art enlarges peoples horizons. It can make people feel better and take them away from their day-to-day concerns for a while. I think this is very good. The d shop was brilliant because it helped people connect with other members of the community. Art in town has the potential to do this, too. It makes people think about new things. It can be entertaining, amusing, inspiring and educational. Art work in the town centre also makes the town more interesting and appealing to visitors, which generally benefits the local economy.
I really dont think people will go to a town centre for art work. You go to an art gallery, exhibition etc if you’re interested in art. Town centres are shops, cafes, markets etc. Its going to be an absolute waste of council tax money that the public has paid. Councillor McBride lives in a dream world.