Public Art Through The Lens

ArtOutside, which takes place on Thursday, 28th November, is an initiative aimed at celebrating all aspects of public art in Wales and coincides with the launch of the name and identity for the new public art organisation in Wales.

The naming of the new organisation marks the completion of merger formalities between two of Wales’ leading public arts organisations, CBAT, the Arts & Regeneration Agency and Cywaith Cymru – Artworks Wales, which have up to now been operating under the temporary name of Public Art Wales. This merger was funded with a Lottery grant by the Arts Council of Wales which also facilitated the project.

As part of the ArtOutside celebrations, an online photographic forum has been launched in association with the award-winning Big Art Mob initiative – part of Channel 4′s Big Art Project. Budding amateur photographers from across Wales and beyond are asked to add their own photographic images of their favourite public artworks in Wales to the ArtOutside forum on the Big Art Mob website – www.bigartmob.com/blog/artoutside.

The best images, selected by a panel of distinguished public art and photographic experts, will be announced on Thursday, 28th November, and featured on the new organisation’s website when it is launched in December.

Wiard Sterk, chief executive of the new organisation, said, “In launching this photographic forum, in association with Big Art Mob and Channel 4, we hope it will inspire people from all over Wales to think about the public art around them and to creatively capture their favourite piece for all to see.

“ArtOutside aims to encourage people from across Wales to think about public art and to debate and engage with us and help formulate public art strategies to meet the needs of communities across Wales.

We are currently working with Channel 4 on the Big Art Project in Cardigan to deliver an exciting public art work for the town and the interest in the project to date has been highly encouraging.

I cannot yet reveal the name of the new organisation to replace Public Art Wales but one of its core aims will be to engage with people from across Wales to make public art mainstream in our society. Public art is much more than a physical statement and has a pivotal role to play in delivering successful economic regeneration in Wales. Without it developments and open spaces are devoid of character and inspiration and we would be a much poorer nation culturally and economically as a result.”

The naming of the new organisation marks the completion of merger formalities between two of Wales’ leading public arts organisations, CBAT, the Arts & Regeneration Agency and Cywaith Cymru – Artworks Wales, which have up to now been operating under the temporary name of Public Art Wales. This merger was funded with a Lottery grant by the Arts Council of Wales which also facilitated the project.

Nick Pearson, Project manager, Big Art Project website, added, “ArtOutside is an exciting initiative and we hope people across Wales will join the ArtOutside group on the Channel 4 Big Art Mob, making it whatever they want it to be – with not just images, but also information on the artwork and a link to a Google map. Registered Big Art Mobloggers can add their own comments to the photographs – this all helps promote interest in, and involvement with, public art. Some interesting conversations and networks between members have grown quite organically in this way across the Big Art Mob website.”