Spalding residents are being urged to get involved with helping curate a new art trail based on a museum’s many items.
Transported Arts are currently working with the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society and want to take the museum into the town by incorporating some of its eclectic and international collection in to the trail.
Working in partnership with artists Steven Hatton and Neil Baker from Electric Egg, the ARTeFACT project will share specially selected artefacts from the collection with the community.
As well as opportunities to get creative themselves, the project will ask the public to think about the artefacts, and where they come from and what they represent.
A Transported spokesman said: “This engagement will inspire an exciting new permanent physical and animated arts trail that will connect the museum to other key and historic Spalding locations.”
Tomorrow (Saturday June 11), visitors to Spalding Town Centre can find the project’s stall in the marketplace between 10am-1pm and help influence the artwork the trail will feature through free activities.
At the stall will be a selection of artefacts from the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society’s collection where passers-by can explore the items, chat with the team about how they think to them and share any stories they might have in response to them.
There is also an opportunity to take part in a free artist-led sketch session of the artefacts.
Artist Steven Hatton said: “The museum is very much loved by those who have visited but for many in Spalding it remains an undiscovered gem.
“This project hopes to throw open the doors of the museums and share what is a rich and eclectic collection with everyone in Spalding.”
The project follows on from a previous collaboration between the three organisations, ‘Portrait Promenade’ a series of portraits taken during Spalding’s market day, capturing residents, traders and visitors alike that is exhibiting a Spalding Gentlemen Society’s museum.
The ‘ARTeFACT’ project will also include school residencies and a museum open day with more free arts activities such as cyanotype making.
The trail is expected to be installed during Autumn 2022.
“The trail is about breathing fresh life into the artefacts and introducing new audiences to the museum,” said Steve. “It follows the spirit of this and whilse the artefacts are a traditional and permanent material, they are to be brought to life with vivid animations that respond to the ideas and thoughts of Spalding residents.
The trail will be formed of etched brass panels which will form a route around the town.
These will be augmented and brought to life with an app that allows the public to ‘scan’ the artworks and see and hear them come to life.
The Spalding Gentlemen Society’s Museum is open 11am to 1pm every Wednesday and Sunday June 19, 11am to 2pm for Celebrating Fens and Civic weekend. It is free to enter.
On Sunday July 17, the museum will be having an open day with the Electric Egg artists on site for another opportunity to get involved with free drop-in arts activities.
More information on the Open Day will be shared soon on the Transported website and social media.
Transported can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @transportedart and Spalding Gentlemen’s Society can be found on Facebook @sgs1710
The project has been funded by an Arts Council England project grant with the team looking to secure further funding from local authorities and community funding schemes.
