Creative town

The Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme, which essentially kicked off the Dewsbury Blueprint, saw three years of great investment in local art.

The project's aim was to start revitalising the town centre, with a range of permanent and temporary public art installations all around Dewsbury. This included providing fantastic learning opportunities for aspiring artists, supporting the creative industry not just now but for the future.

Most of all, through the work of many creatives with strong local connections, the project has brightened up Dewsbury town centre and marked the start of the investment to come.

The project

The artwork

You'll find works of art have popped up all around Dewsbury town centre.

You've probably spotted the Dewsbury letters, a sculpture by Emmeline North, in pride of place outside the town hall. She's also designed the large mural, titled Urban Rewild, which is located near the bus station.

If you use the underpass below Rishworth Road, you'll walk through the colourful tiled artwork called 'Tessella' by Saba Rifat.

Three pieces titled 'Tapestries' by Lenny & Whale can be seen on Bond Street as you walk up to the train station.

These are just some of the works of art you'll find around the town centre as a result of the Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme.

Keeping it local

Each work of art has provided people who live and work in Dewsbury, as well as local businesses and community groups, with lots of opportunities to engage with art - and even to get involved in the commissioning process. It has created a unique platform for both emerging and established artists to be creative out and about, and have their work in the public eye as we celebrate Dewsbury.

All the artists who've been commissioned as part of the Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme have been encouraged to engage with people who live and work in Dewsbury, and who will be seeing the artwork every day for years to come. As a result, in this artwork you can see elements of local stories, local industry and even local faces.

Funding

The Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme has been funded by grants from Arts Council England , alongside council investment and money from the government's Towns Fund .

Delivery

We worked with arts organisation Beam to provide an array of opportunities for local people to engage with art in Dewsbury, and for local entrepreneurs to engage in the commissioning process - benefitting local residents, businesses and community groups all at once.