Harlow Art Trust is currently inviting submissions from artists to add the latest work of art to Harlow Sculpture Town.

29/04/2019

The artist will create a new permanent artwork or works for a development of 125 homes in Harlow, Essex. The site is a threshold between a new playground and a church. Artists are invited to respond to the church’s historic links to the Industrial Revolution and the abolition of slavery. The project is funded by the developer through a section 106 planning agreement. The total budget for the selected sculpture is £36,400 inclusive of artist fee, materials, fabrication and installation on site. Shortlisted artists will be paid an honorarium fee of £500 for developing their proposals. 

Harlow Sculpture Town

Over the past 70 years, a collection of over 90 public sculptures has grown in and amongst the residential, civic and leisure areas across Harlow. This has earned it the accolade Harlow Sculpture Town. The collection has its genesis in the early days of the town itself, built as part of a nationwide programme of post-war reconstruction. In keeping with the 1945 government’s emphasis on access to arts and culture for all, Harlow’s Master Planner Sir Frederick Gibberd was uncompromising in his vision that Harlow would be home not only to high quality housing, amenities and expansive green spaces, but also to the finest works of art: an emblem of civic renewal and social progress in the wake of the second world war. To achieve it, he established Harlow Art Trust in 1953 with a mission to beautify the town by commissioning and maintaining public art, and it has been in operation ever since.

Today, Harlow is home to an eclectic mix of sculptures by both world-famous and lesser known artists. Six sculptures have been listed Grade-II by English Heritage, including work by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Auguste Rodin. The works are part of the town’s social fabric, repositories of personal histories and collective memory. They remain a focal point of cultural activity for schools, community groups, and visitors. Harlow Art Trust works with developers to commission new work and also runs an annual Sculpture Town Artist in Residence programme, ensuring that as the town grows and welcomes new residents, so too does its collection of public art.

Download the Artists’ Brief and Application Form for full details. 

Deadline for applications: Monday 3rd June 2019, 23:59