Background Information
Channel 4’s Big Art Project is one of the most ambitious national art commissioning programmes ever undertaken.
In October 2005 Channel 4 asked the nation to get involved in the Big Art Project. The response was overwhelming – over 1,400 members of the public across the UK said they wanted some art for their communities and proposed a site.
The Big Art selection team tackled the huge task of working out which of those sites should go forward. Between now and spring 2008, the Channel 4 Big Art Project chose to develop pieces of public art on seven sites across the UK.
And this includes St.Helens !
The St.Helens Project is a collaboration between St.Helens Council and the Big Art Trust, who will be commissioning the artwork. The project has the full support of the Forestry Commission and is being curated by Liverpool Biennial.
The project has the active involvement of a community focus group made up of former miners. Helena Housing’s resident involvement team will manage a community engagement programme across the St.Helens borough to generate debate about public art and place.
Progress on the Big Art St.Helens project is being filmed by Carbon Media for a major Channel 4 TV series to be broadcast in spring 2008.
The chosen Big Art Sites accross the country are
| North Belfast | Mull | Cardigant |
| Sheffield | Newham | Burnley |
The Big Art Selection Process
‘So just who chooses what Public Art gets placed where?’ - this is one of the key questions we have been asked as we have undertaken exhibitions & presentations across the borough as part of the Big Art Project in St.Helens community engagement programme.
Well, whilst commissioning processes for public art varies depending on the project, here’s how the artwork has been chosen for the former Sutton Manor colliery site in St.Helens.
About two years ago, a group of former miners from Sutton Manor nominated the colliery site for the Channel 4 Big Art Project. Once the site was chosen, a formal Big Art Steering Group for St.Helens was established comprising key organisations involved with the site. In practical terms, the project is being delivered by St.Helens Council in conjunction with the Big Art Trust
The Big Art Steering Group is chaired by Cllr Brian Spencer, the Leader of St.Helens Council and who himself worked down Sutton Manor Colliery. He is joined on the Steering Group by:
• Bob Hepworth, Director of Urban Regeneration & Housing, St.Helens Council
• John Whaling, Economic Development Manager, St.Helens Council
• Cllr Wally Ashcroft, Cultural Portofolio Holder, St.Helens Council
• Gary Conley, Miners Community Focus Group Representative
• Vicki Lewis, Project Administrator, The Big Art Trust
• Lee Dudley, North West Area Director, Forestry Commission
• Paul Kelly, Community Engagement Co-ordinator, Helena Housing
The Big Art Steering group is advised and serviced by Liverpool Biennial as well as the views of a larger Miners Community Focus Group comprising:
• Gary Conley
• Mel Moran
• Dr Frank Leech
• Brian Salkeld
• Terry Murray
• Steve Conlin
• Tommy Frodsham
• Dave Stevens
• John Hamon
The views of the Community Focus Group are represented on the Big Art Steering Group by Gary Conley. One public consultation evening with the immediate community has taken place so far. This was held at the Shining Light Centre of Sutton Manor Primary School, which will continue to play a key part in the development of the site and the future preservation of its heritage.
Over the past year, the Big Art Steering Group, with the input of the wider Miners Community Focus Group, has:
• developed an appropriate artist’s brief for the Sutton Manor Colliery site
• selected a preferred artist, Jaume Plensa, from a long list of 12 artists
• advised the chosen artist as his ideas for the artwork for the site have developed
• approved the artistic design concept for the Sutton Manor site.
And there you have it! It’s not art by committee, more like art by consensus, and, perhaps more importantly, it’s a process that has evolved over a period of time through positive debate, discussion and engagement.
The resulting artistic proposal from Jaume Plensa - which may have been made public by the time you read this - will be subject to the usual planning and consultation processes where the statutory agencies and wider public can air their views. The proposed artwork is one we think will get people talking across St.Helens, Merseyside, the North West, and beyond - as all good art should!!!
