PASW Regional Newsletter: Autumn 2001
Catalis Public Art Project - Community Access to the Arts for people Living in Southglos
The Regional Arts Lottery programme awarded South Gloucestershire Council's Arts Development Unit £27,000 to deliver the CATALIS Public Art project.
The Council is a Unitary Authority with a dynamic 'Percent for Art' policy and an extraordinary rate of development. CATALIS will develop peoples response to public art and fund and commission art works that fulfil the guiding principles of South Gloucestershire's Arts Strategy; Access, Sustainability and Artistic Excellence.
CATALIS focuses on two areas in South Gloucestershire; Emerson's Green and Pucklechurch. The project will involve a range of people in Emerson's Green development and Pucklechurch village, encouraging them to play an active role in the artistic processes, enhancing the local environment and adding a sense of ownership and pride of place with local people.
Emerson's Green is a significant new housing development in South Gloucestershire. Under present planning consent, the development, on over 950 acres of traditionally agricultural land, will consist of 3200 new homes. Public Art has been integrated into Emerson's Green from the master planning stage. Artists will work with young people and adults in this new community to produce permanent artworks, site specific to the new build Library and Community Hall buildings, due for completion in April 2001.
Pucklechurch is a village lying to the east of Emerson's Green with a population of approximately 3,000 residents. It comprises a mixture of older and newer housing surrounding the 13th Century Parish Church. The new build High Security Young Offenders Institute, Ashfield, was opened in January 2000. In Pucklechurch there is a high proportion of young people, with very little access to creative opportunities and arts resources. Artists will work with Young People in the Village and in the Institute enabling them to positively contribute to the shaping of their environments in the creation of temporary and permanent artworks.
CATALIS will explore artistic and commissioning processes and bring people together, through a programme of training, visits and practical workshops exploring the artistic, visioning and commissioning processes.
Ray Smith has been appointed as Lead Artist and we have been working closely with the Architects Mason Richards, and the Staff at Ashfield to develop various artistic approaches and ideas for the Project. We have also had initial meetings with community groups in both areas. The next stages of the project will involve community members in developing training for local people and the commissioning of Artists to deliver the Residency stage of the project.
As CATALIS progresses, a website will be launched and developed throughout the project. A series of postcards celebrating the artworks produced will also be launched.
Any Artists interested in working on CATALIS or other Public Art projects, please contact :
Trish McGrath,
Arts and Tourism Manager,
South Gloucestershire Council,
Community Services Department, Parkman House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire, BS34 8SQ.
Tel : 01454 865834. E.mail : [email protected]