Background Discover King’s Lynn is the Business Improvement District for King’s Lynn Town Centre. Our aim is to create a town centre of which we are all proud, where businesses thrive, new and creative opportunities are encouraged , and visitors choose to return again and again. To fulfil our aim we want to foster a greater sense of pride in the town, and help generate feelings of vibrancy and optimism. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UK SPF) is the UK Government’s long term funding stream to replace EU structural funds. It is intended to help support the UK Government’s Levelling Up policy. The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk has been allocated funding from the UK SPF and has chosen to invest in three priorities, including Communities and Place. Within this priority there are two interventions of relevance to this project; E1 – Improvements to Town Centres and High Streets E6 – Local arts, cultural, heritage & creative activities For further information about the West Norfolk Shared Prosperity Fund go to West Norfolk SPF In addition to the above, King’s Lynn is the recipient of £25m from the Towns Fund. Three of the five Towns Fund projects in King’s Lynn will stimulate and support the creative industries and / or improve the public realm of the Town Centre. Most notably, the Rail to River project incorporates the installation of 2 pieces of public art along its route. For more information about the Town’s Fund projects go to Vision King’s Lynn We want to use the small amount of UK SPF that we have been granted to add to the momentum and opportunity created by the Towns Fund. We hope it will be the start of a longer piece of work with people who live and work in the town centre, to create interest, identity and pride in the town centre. Brief We are looking for a lead artist to work with us to deliver up to 3 sites (depending on budget and identification of suitable sites) for 2D and 3D murals / art in King’s Lynn town centre. We have already identified a shortlist of sites and are in the process of identifying any further constraints related to successful implementation of a public art work. The successful applicant will assist in finalising the selection of the preferred site(s) and will therefore need to demonstrate a proven ability to plan, coordinate and deliver high quality public art that will provide a long-term contribution to the selected setting. We would like this project to open the way for future projects – in King’s Lynn and possibly in other parts of West Norfolk. Consequently, we would like to consider other opportunities for themed public art – not just on building gables or walls, but possibly other structures such as utility boxes, site hoardings, empty shop windows and temporary banners. We therefore require this project to establish a process / blueprint for future projects and see this as a required output from this brief. We feel that engagement with the local community is key to the success of this project. We will assist the successful artist in identifying local groups and community stakeholders to work with in developing themes and concepts for the final art work(s). We want the engagement process to leave us with a wealth of themes and ideas that can be taken forward in future funding rounds. Practicalities and Guiding Principles We have an initial list of potential sites for this project, however some might not be suitable due to costs and the timescale of the project. The project steering group will work with the lead artist to identify appropriate sites to fit the timescale and budget. We appreciate this is quite a fluid brief so we thought it important to highlight some guiding principles that underpin this project. Engagement – we want this project to be based on genuine engagement and discussion. We believe work like this has the potential to play an important role in generating a sense of pride in place, identity and ownership. Environmental sustainability – we want to ensure that the whole process, from engagement activities through to the final works are undertaken with minimal impact on the environment, and take into account maintenance and longevity. Supporting local artists and creativity – If possible we would like the project to involve local artists. We are working to identify local persons that may be interested in being involved in the project. We would like the successful lead artist to contribute to this selection process and to work with at least one local artist in creation of the final work. Impact! – We want this project to make a visual impact, as well as making an impact on those who participate in the engagement activities. About you We are looking for an artist with demonstrable experience in this area of work, who has a track record of engaging with a diverse range of people, and who is accustomed to working in public open spaces and with public sector bodies. Project Timelines These are the project milestones as set out in the project proposal that was approved by the Borough Council. The end point of 31.3.24 is non-negotiable.
- Appoint artist – Early September2023
- Engagement activity September to end October 2023
- Identify longlist of sites – September to October 2023
- Planning permission submitted no later than November 2023
- Planning granted – Feb 2024
- Sites prepared and art pieces created / installed by 31st March 2024
- Satisfaction / perception survey – March 2024
Budget The budget for the engagement work and production of art pieces is £11,500 there is a separate allocation for planning consents which may not be required and could be put towards other materials / items. There is also a separate budget for marketing / promotion. Requirements If you are interested in delivering this project, please respond via email to Vicky Etheridge, BID Manager, [email protected] with the following information by close of play on Monday 28th August, we will shortlist candidates and aim to hold interviews on Wednesday 6th September.
- Your approach to engagement.
- How you will go about gathering and interpreting the themes and ideas that come from the engagement activities and translate them into visual art ideas.
- Your approach to the practical application and creation of 2d art into a space, particularly in a heritage setting, and including seeking permissions from landowners, risk assessments, planning consents etc.
- How you will minimise the environmental impact of the project.
- Whether you would seek to involve local artists and how you might do this.
- Timeline, key milestones and costings
- Examples of previous work that is relevant to this brief.
Please set out the above on headed / branded paper and return via email. We look forward to hearing from you!
