Archived press release

Date Published: 27/11/06

Views, questions and suggestions from across Aylesbury Vale are being sought for an open forum on public art. The event, taking place on 28 November at Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Exchange Street offices, will give members of the publ...

Views, questions and suggestions from across Aylesbury Vale are being sought for an open forum on public art.

The event, taking place on 28 November at Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Exchange Street offices, will give members of the public the chance to listen and interact with arts officers from AVDC, artists working on the Aylesbury Public Transport Hub and Southcourt Bridge project and representatives from Artpoint, the regional public arts commissioning agency. A film highlighting public art projects from across the country will also be shown.

Residents will have the opportunity to discuss the work on show as well as issues relating to public artworks in Aylesbury Vale. The findings of this consultation will go on to influence council decision making in the future.

The public consultation is being carried out as part of the work being undertaken by AVDC and Buckinghamshire County Council to include public artworks in the redevelopment of the Aylesbury Public Transport Hub. The two councils have been awarded £10,000 by the Art Plus Award Scheme to develop ideas for new artworks in and around the development. This artwork may take the form of artist-designed street furniture, film or video projections or new lighting for the bridge.

In addition, £5,000 has been awarded by Aylesbury Vale Arts Council to support the inclusion of three local artists for the project. This work will lead towards a detailed proposal being submitted to Arts Plus for the second phase of the project. If this proposal is successful a further award of £50,000 will be given to enable the artists’ ideas to become reality.

AVDC is hoping that a number of new building developments in Aylesbury and the surrounding area will be enhanced through public art. Aylesbury Vale has a thriving arts community, and the council is keen to build on this talent, its wealth of outstanding architecture, and previous public arts initiatives.

District Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “Public art can play an important role in achieving many of the council’s key objectives by helping to improve the environment and provide a better quality of life for residents and visitors. It also raises a wide range of opinions and this is a good opportunity for people to join in an informed debate.”

County Councillor Valerie Letheren, Cabinet Member for Transportation, said: “This is a great opportunity for the residents of Aylesbury to contribute in how we can evolve a creative difference to the town centre. The artwork will encourage a pleasant environment for those travelling around the town and positively add to the development of the public transport hub and Southcourt Bridge.”

The event takes place on Tuesday 28 November from 1pm until 2.30pm at the AVDC offices in Exchange Street, Aylesbury.