Mendip District Council is seeking Expressions of Interest from Mendip or wider Somerset based artists for a new public art commission. The successful commission will be installed as a high-quality, long-lasting piece, along the new multi-user path in Shepton Mallet.
The artwork will commemorate the contribution communities made in response to the Covid pandemic, and highlight the importance of exercise and active travel, during the times of lockdown.
The identified outdoor space for the installation within Shepton Mallet, is one the new district-wide multi-user paths. The new path is part of the development of sections of the Strawberry Line with the aim of connecting communities, reducing car travel, cutting carbon emissions and promoting active lifestyles in the district. Mendip District Council said: “The intention is to commission a piece of public art that will be high quality, lasting, appropriate to its surrounding and that has a special meaning in the Mendip area.”
A £5,000 contribution from the council’s Creative Mendip fund has been matched by an anonymous charitable foundation, giving a total budget of £10,000 to the appointed artist(s), with a further £1,000 being offered to cover installation costs. A maximum of three artists will be invited to develop proposals for the site. A selection panel will be formed, comprising independent public art specilaists, Mendip officers and Councillors, and funder representatives.
Interstered artists can find the brief here: Artists Brief Public Art
Please read the brief in full before submitting an Expression of Interest by Friday, November 4.
Mendip District Council agreed a Creative Mendip fund for the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 to promote the arts and creative industries in the district, with money from the fund being allocated to other projects in each of the district’s towns and rural areas.
For more information please visit: www.mendip.gov.uk/article/11222/Mendip-launches-public-art-commission or if you have any queries, contact Mendip District Council on paths@mendip.gov.uk. Alternatively, call 07747 760076.
