PASW Regional Newsletter: Autumn 2002
Current Projects - Public Arts Officer, Cotswold District Council
Rachael Stanway will be getting to the art of the matter in her new role at Cotswold District Council, as the authority's first Public Arts Development Officer.
Rachael, previously a freelance consultant, will be working on a wide range of projects, from new housing developments to a public arts event for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
Cotswold District Council has already completed a number of public art projects, from art and poetry on the sides of refuse lorries to a 'pocket park' at the former Cirencester Football Ground and railings at the Queen Elizabeth Road homes development in Cirencester .
Rachael's role will be to develop and advise on the Council's on-going Public Art programme, including the % for art policy, which spends one per cent of development costs for social housing and new and refurbished Council buildings on public art.
She has already worked on the Council commissioned Tetbury Style Project, which involved a team of artists drawing up palettes of colour and materials and identifying sites in the town for public art, including signs and street furniture.
A public art element is also being included in the second stage of the Cirencester Traffic and Environment Plan and the new cycletrack next to the Western Spine Road near the Cotswold Water Park.
Rachael said: "Public art is not only statues and memorials - it can be anything from sound works and ice sculptures to benches, signage, street lamps, and architectural detail. "High quality public art that is easily accessible to the public can enrich and enhance the environment. It can also support local arts and crafts people, improve economic viability, and help communities enjoy and appreciate the place where they live."
Rachael Stanway,
e.mail : [email protected]