The Beeston Street Art group on Facebook are raising money for more murals. NeSpoon submitted a beautiful Lace Heritage work for the last Council Commission using a pattern from Parkes factory – it would be her first machine lace piece and a significant art/heritage asset/attraction for our town. If we reach the target we can bring her here this year. Please do give what you can and share the link – the crowdfund closes in 10 days on the 18 June.
Mural Life AKA Qubek was chosen by the leaders of Broxtowe Council to paint their next commission on the Station Rd precinct walls to the left of the delivery entrance and Zabou’s completed work. He submitted a landscape design about Beeston (derived from Beos meaning long/tall grass and Tun meaning farm or settlement) and enjoys painting flora and bees so his design will be a nature view for us all to enjoy – a breath of fresh air in a particularly urban spot.
The project leaders were overwhelmed with fantastic submissions and started a crowdfund to bring the excellent designs that were not chosen for this wall to other private walls – please contribute what you can here to help expand our town’s new art attractions and help revive our high street.
We also have some private commissions in the pipeline; Peter Barber is going to paint a portrait of Owen Jenkins running in the direction of the Rylands on the very top of the Station Rd side of Hairven; this mural will raise awareness of the charity set up in Owen’s memory by his family – the Open Water Education Network. Saint Property Services is now in discussion with Mr Cenz to commission a mural on a large residential end of terrace wall (junction of City Rd and Middle Street). The wall facing the Malt Shovel on what was The Hive on Union Street is soon to be painted by local artist Damon Barker and Broxtowe are also going to use some of their park fund to create a nature inspired mural in Broadgate Park on the brick wall at the sand pit end of the play park, continuing around the concrete fence facing the zip line. N4T4 will lead this with the involvement of local schools. Most recently Jim Vision’s company End of the Line have kindly offered to bring us a conservation themed mural to Chilwell High Rd on the large wall that used to have a billboard attached next to the Chequers. All of these works will happen this summer after which we will use our funds to create a glossy street art guide and hopefully a tour app – our town will be one of the top destinations for street art in the UK. The current guide is below and available as a .pdf :
Civic awards have long been made in major cities across the UK – Beeston joins that illustrious and often controversial group, by launching its own awards.
Covering the area of Beeston, Chilwell, Attenborough, Toton and the surrounding environs Beeston Civic Society are now looking to make awards for recently completed projects.
To be made biennially – as a centre part of the National Civic Day celebrations, mid-June this year, these brand-new awards will feature the best (plus a booby prize for the worst) designs and builds across the district.
Intended to enthuse others and to encourage inspirational design for the built environment, including landscape projects, the awards will only be made as and when there are noteworthy projects of considerable merit.
The award categories will encompass the best examples of new builds, refurbishment, regeneration and re-purposing of built environment together with landscaping. Projects need to have been completed locally within the past two years and to be in public view.
The Executive of Beeston Civic Society will be looking for nominations from members and from the wider public in each of the categories.
Announcing the award launch planning and design specialist, Vice Chair of the Society, Caroline Penn commented “This is another new and exciting venture for Beeston Civic. The award scheme – for notable recent developments, which make a positive contribution to the local physical environment, will, we hope, encourage better standards of design and so contribute to the enhancement of our public space.”
Download and fill in a nomination form now and send it to us at beestoncivicsociety@gmail.com
Following the festival in June 2018 and the first council commission by Zabou we now have many works around town and Beeston is fast becoming a top destination in the UK for visitors to tour street art. Click HERE to open a printable .pdf of the map below
The next council commission on the precinct (paid for by the remaining money in the art fund inherited from Henry Boot Plc) is currently being chosen by Broxtowe’s party leaders from the many exciting submissions we received. We also plan to raise more money so we can invite as many artists as possible to bring their inspired designs to town on private walls should they not be chosen for this position. Do join our group on Facebook to keep up with the project!
As you are no doubt aware, Broxtowe Borough Council is in the process of selling the Town Hall to Cornerstone Evangelical Church.
The decision is flawed on many levels, and possibly unlawful and by selling to this particular Church it is almost certain the Town Hall will not be as freely accessible to the local public as it would with the Community Bid.
In the bid process a coalition of local community stakeholders, acting as a community interest organisation, proposed taking a lease on the building and submitted a detailed bid that was rejected. When asked to resubmit, there was requirement for a “gagging” undertaking which the Community Group refused to sign wanting the process to be transparent, open, and community led. A mandatory Equality Impact Assessment has not been published, and no reason given as to why not. This omission is potentially unlawful.
On this basis we believe that the process was designed for the community bid to fail.
The Civic Society is taking legal advice to see whether there are grounds for a judicial review of this sale. To apply for this review, we need to raise money to cover the application costs.
We are therefore asking for YOUR help. We need £5,000 to launch legal action. If everyone on these pages donated we’d have more than enough. So please spare what you can and if the target is not reached the pledges will not be collected.
But if we do reach the target and the Judicial Review goes ahead, and is successful, the decision taken on 17th October to sell the Town Hall will be quashed. We will then have a second opportunity and a chance of a new process, which might lead to, but does not guarantee, the Council deciding to lease to the Community Bid Group. In that case you will be part of something wonderful, and will have helped to ensure the Town Hall remains in the community for many years to come. If we do nothing all is lost so we have to try.
Broxtowe’s first commissioned mural in Beeston, Nottingham was completed by street artist Zabou on the 18th October 2018; it has been very well received with much local, national and even international press.
They now have a sum of £2000 remaining from the art fund they inherited from Henry Boot Plc and would like to invite artists to submit costed designs for the wall/s to the left of the precinct delivery entrance on Station Rd (to the left of Zabou’s work). There is a possibility that Broxtowe may be able to add to this fund for the right proposal.
The wall/s:
The dimensions of this section are numbered 4, 5, 8 and 9:
This/these walls are opposite Tesco in Beeston Centre on Station Rd. Please do submit your costed design proposals to beestonstreetart@gmail.com if you would like to be considered for this next commission – the council will make a decision in the new year.
We were delighted to help organise this commission by international street artist Zabou for Broxtowe Borough Council as a continuation of the street art festival Jeanie Barton organised in June with much appreciated assistance from members of the Beeston Street Art group on Facebook! Jeanie meets with the Council again next Tuesday the 13th November to plan what we are going to do with the remaining fund – they are even considering investing more! These vibrant art attractions and the resulting local, national and even international press should help secure the creative investors the council requires for the phase 2 development.
Here is a guide of the artworks around town updated as of 06/11/18
