Getting to know local stories, histories and what matters to a community. Talking to residents, listening to what they’re proud of, what they’ve lost, what they’re hoping for. That time spent on making connections shapes every project.

The result? Public art that is inclusive and feels like it belongs. Art that people recognise themselves in. Art that reflects the character of a place,  its past, its present and its future ambitions.

We believe public art should be for everyone, in the parks, streets, libraries, schools and community centres that people move through every day. It should invite curiosity, spark conversation and offer people a reason to stop and look again at their place. 

The best way to make that happen is to work with communities, not just for them. Artists use community engagement as an essential part of their research and creative process, making sure every commission is locally rooted and meaningful,  not just visually, but in every sense – who it involves, whose stories it tells and whose voices shaped it.

That approach has taken many forms across our 40 year history. Creative workshops, walking tours, oral history projects, co-design sessions and more with young people, older people, and everyone in between. Each approach is a way of making sure the art that ends up in a place genuinely reflects the people who live there, building a strong sense of personal connection.  

#Beam40 #Archive6 #PeopleAtTheHeart #PublicArt #CommunityEngagement #40Years #Artists

Header Image, Centre for Dark Matter, Andy Abbott, Wakefield Arts Partnership ©Andy Abbott.