Art in the Market awarded contract to bring arts and culture to Grimsby Top Town Market for a further year

Grimsby Top Town Market is delighted to announce that the successful Art in the Market project will continue for another year.

The project is a partnership between Our Big Picture and North East Lincolnshire Council, working alongside ENGIE, which is supported by public funding through the National Lottery, Arts Council England.

For just over two years, Our Big Picture’s ‘Art in the Market’ project has worked with local and national artists and arts organisations to bring a celebration of arts, music, craft and craft making experiences to Grimsby Top Town Market. Our Big Picture is working again this year with Art in the Market resident artist Anna Bean aka bluebeany.

From 2018 to 2020, Art in the Market had more than 3,100 local people take part by making and creating in the project through a range of different events, from pop-up exhibitions to teenage makers fairs, to encourage all ages to get involved.

Events had to be put on hold during the pandemic but now they are once again able to take place in a COVID-safe environment and a new programme is being finalised.

The most recent workshop worked with more than 50 children and young people who created artwork celebrating the recent Festival of the Sea, where an “underwater” mystical market stall experience was created using found or discarded materials to create figures combining underwater and endangered species. The experience will remain on the market until the end of the summer.

Councillor Stan Shreeve, portfolio holder for finance, resources and assets, said: “I’m delighted that the Art in the Market project will continue for another year to bring local and national artists and art organisations together to celebrate the arts and all it has to offer at Grimsby Top Town Market.

“With workshops, music and exhibitions being announced soon, these will give a new dimension to the existing market and the wide variety of local traders and fantastic local produce available on the market, from sausages to flowers, collectables to slippers and phone repairs to key cutting, you can find it all on the market.”

Paula Denton from Our Big Picture added: “It’s been a challenging time for those in the arts and continues to be. It is brilliant to be back in the buzz of the market and our community there.

“We are really looking forward to celebrating and showcasing the amazing local talent and enable everyone to take part in, experience, and enjoy art at its best.”

The most recent programme to be launched is the Imaginarium which supports emerging artists aged between nine to 24 years old. The Imaginarium explores the magic of creating and is a unique opportunity for creative young people to learn new creative skills, meet young successful artist entrepreneurs and potentially earn money from their own creations, so they are also learning some business skills.

The young artists are shaping and contributing to a new Imaginarium Shop at the Our Big Pictures studio pod on Grimsby Top Town Market, which will open in September.

Young people can still sign up to take part, just email [email protected] or visit the  Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Imaginariumgy