Aliens have landed! Atherstone residents invited to contribute to new street art project

"Aliens have landed locally and you only have one chance to say something about your town to convince them to save it!"

This is one of the questions that Creative Giants would like an answer as part of their research to help them curate an exciting new art project across Atherstone and other towns in Warwickshire.

In a radical move to reinvigorate the use of public spaces such as town centres and parks in the wake of Covid-19, Warwickshire County Council, in collaboration with the five districts and boroughs, have invited specialist place curators, Creative Giants, to amplify the work of local artists through a collaborative project that will see a series of dynamic street art projects installed in Atherstone, Polesworth, Coleshill, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Rugby, Leamington (to be confirmed) and Stratford.

Artists and designers will be invited to reimagine public spaces across the county but, before this happens, Creative Giants would like to find out from residents, businesses and local stakeholders what their thoughts and feelings are about their local towns.

Simon Vaughan, Managing Director of Creative Giants is encouraging everyone to get involved: "It may be that you've always admired the way the local community rallies around particular events in the town or you may think there are things that we shout more (or less) about?

"We want to hear it all, your uplifting stories, bug bears and shoutouts for everything that is good, bad or in-between for all these places. This will really help us build a narrative or common thread that is unique to each town and which can be taken through to the design process with the winning artist."

Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Economy and Place, said "This is a really fun and lighthearted survey which is accessible to everyone which will help support the work ofthe up-and-coming artists as they design installations for our towns.

"But there is a more serious point around this. How we reshape the places that make up our town centres are critical to our economic recovery.

"We need to make them the kind of places that people want to visit. Creating an attractive town centre is not just about creating something visually attractive; it's about creating a positive energy that will improve residents' quality of life and stimulate the local economy."

The survey is being part-funded by £194,000 from the Government's Getting Building Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP).

Helen Peters, chair of the CWLEP's Culture and Tourism Business Group and CWLEP board director, said: "This innovative project is a fantastic way of encouraging people who live in towns throughout Warwickshire back to their town centres as Covid-19 restrictions are eased.

"Local artists will be providing innovative ways of improving the appearance of the county's town centres and parks which as well as improving the social wellbeing of residents will help to boost the economy which is a major focus of the CWLEP's Strategic Reset Framework."

To get involved, click here.