Project Summary
This project formed part of the broader Northern Way foundation work, aiming to contribute to the business and implementation plan for Northern Way.  The key rationale for the project was based on perceptions, profile and enhanced quality of place.  For the North to become truly attractive to audiences within the UK and overseas (notably entrepreneurs, skilled people, investors, tourists) - addressing negative perceptions and raising the profile of the North as a successful modern economy.  The Welcome to the North Public Art Programme is feasibility and development work to allow this to progress and ensure well-targeted and practical proposals.

Overall Aim
The purpose of the Strategy was to establish the value of public art within the framework of the Northern Way, with particular reference to Investment Priority C10 (Market the North to the World); to make consequent recommendations on strategic investment that ensure maximum value; and to provide an outline of costs and a procurement methodology for ensuring the delivery of the recommendations.

Investment in public art represents good value for money for the Northern Way Investment Strand C-10, and has potential to contribute to other Northern Way investment priorities, and to wider cultural activities and initiatives in the North. Extract from final strategy.

What did we do?
Beam was appointed by *ACE, Yorkshire to lead a Consultant Team including Atoll and Stephen Feber Ltd.  The overall objective for the team was to undertake feasibility work on a new programme of public art and high profile visitor displays, that symbolise and promote the Northern Way.  The recommended new programme was expected to raise the profile of the North and generate public interest, help change perceptions for the better, generate tourist interest, create a positive impression with business people visiting from abroad, and add to the cultural and quality of life off in the North.

*ACE, Yorkshire represented a consortium involving the three ACE Northern offices, the three Northern Regional Cultural consortia, the three Northern Regional Development Agencies, and the Northern Way Executive and Board.

What did we achieve?
Following direct consultation with key stakeholders and wider research with over 500 consultees the following four interconnected investment actions were recommended:
Northern Way Commissioning Programme 2006-8 - a series of major arts commissions.
Northern Way Starmapping Initiative - imagining and representing the North through a multi-layered and multi-purpose mapping system linked to Google Earth.
Northern Way Arts Generator Fund - A Seedfund to generate and promote further public art projects.
Coordination & Research - an integrated pan-regional approach to ensure maximum value for Northern Way public art investment.

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