A new approach to public art in North East Lincolnshire

North East Lincolnshire is going through major changes in the way the physical space across the borough looks and feels.

With improvements to public spaces in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, completed, under way and planned, the opportunity has come to review the way that we think about art in public spaces.

Cllr Tom Furneaux, Cabinet member for culture, said: “Public art can be many things to many people. Take the brilliant public art in St James’ Square, for example: Annabel McCourt’s Murmuration piece on Wilko’s wall was the result of directly working with local people; Adrian Riley’s ‘Come Follow Me’ etched paving is unique to Grimsby, taking in our sayings, our history and our culture.”

There has been significant investment in cultural activity recently, particularly in the last few years through the Grimsby Creates programme, and North East Lincolnshire is a “Priority Place” for Arts Council England and an “Area of Focus” for National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This investment has seen the likes of the Festival of the Sea, Edible Grimsby,Paint the Town Proud, Our Future Starts Here and MyFishGY projects as well as a raft of others delivered in recent years.

Now, the Council is looking for expert support to help us draw together existing public art knowledge, advise on a cohesive way to consider what we have, and to present a way forward for the future in line with our newly adopted Creativity Strategy.

Specifically, the aims and outputs of the tender are:

• Engage and consult with various stakeholders to develop a Public Art Approach that provides legacy for the Grimsby Creates programme.
• Articulate a vision for public art across North East Lincolnshire within the context of the Council plan and commissioning outcomes, planning policy, creativity strategy and masterplans for Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
• Describe what public art is (and is not), how public art can manifest itself, the opportunities of developing strong public art principles that are embedded in the place and the benefit/impact of public art for residents, visitors, business and creatives.
• Provide practical solutions on commissioning, management, maintenance and funding protocols in a fun, dynamic and engaging way that reflects Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy and the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Masterplans.
• Make recommendations and provide guidance, recommendations and action plan for the implementation of the Approach to enable & facilitate high quality public art that is accessible to all to enhance engagement and awareness.
• To support local creatives and creative organisations to develop understanding of public art, commissioning processes, opportunities and constraints.

If you think you have the know-how and knowledge to support us in this journey, visit the Grimsby Creates website, www.grimsbycreates.co.uk (opportunities section) for more information. This tender opportunity closes on 11 October 2022.