Posted: January 2026, Beam Archive #1

To kick off Beam’s 40th anniversary year  we’re diving back into our early days and sharing some brilliant projects from the archive and reflections on the early days of Beam from Founding Director, Graham Roberts. Project images come from records held at West Yorkshire Archive Services which was researched by Independent Curator Kerry Harker as part of a study into the Beam archive carried out in 2018.

Beam began life as Public Arts, founded in Wakefield in 1986 as an arts charity with big ideas about public space, place, and community. Our forty year archive captures how public art has evolved over the decades — from early commissioning and funding challenges, to shifting ideas around placemaking, technology, and community-led approaches.

One of our very first commissions was A Light Wave by Charles Quick at Wakefield Westgate Railway Station in 1987, made for British Rail and visible to passing train passengers. The work moved away from figurative public art towards bold, rhythmic geometry — dramatically lit at night. It gave a platform to a young artist and stayed in place until 2009.
Do you remember it?

In 1989, artist Tess Jaray was commissioned by Public Arts and Wakefield Council to reimagine the Cathedral precinct. Her beautifully handmade proposal (now in our archive) gives rare insight into her process — and the final design is still going strong today.
Did you know the precinct was designed by an artist?

Follow along and join the conversation as we celebrate 40 years of Beam, with monthly archive highlights along the way.

#Beam40 #PublicArt #Wakefield #ArtInPublicSpace #40Forward

Header image credit: Emmeline North © Nicholas Singleton