£2.5m café
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) and BBS Construction are calling on artists to submit proposals to develop a piece of public art for the new café building within Mote Park.
The artwork is to last a minimum of 10 years and there is strong preference for it to be based on the history of Mote Park, possibly incorporating memories of the past, people and children in the park over the years.
Artists should consider how their piece of public art could be used to raise the profile and celebrate not just Mote Park, but Maidstone and its heritage.
Cllr Martin Round, Chair of the Economic, Regeneration and Leisure Committee said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for an artist to create something that will leave a lasting mark in Maidstone. We do need the artwork to be permanent, accessible to all ages and conceived with a clear understanding of the location and footfall the area will experience.”
Cllr Martin Round
Artists are free to work in any medium and to interpret the history of Mote Park theme in any way they wish, to explore new technologies and creative ideas for the design and development of the public art.
Martin continued: “The creation of artwork concepts must involve engagement with local schools. The commissioned artist will be expected to carry out a number of public engagement activities with local schools and/or community groups.”
The new café is a key part of MBC’s plans to regenerate Mote Park and encourage both new and returning visitors into the county town. The new café is expected to be completed and open to the public in Summer 2022 and will include indoor and outdoor seating, flexible space for learning, an educational and meeting area for local schools and community groups to hire and new larger modern toilet facilities.
BBS Construction is on site building the new £2.5m café and estates services building on behalf of MBC. Geoff Slee, director from BBS said: “We are very excited to be able to work with local artists to create a lasting legacy for the people and visitors of Maidstone. We look forward to receiving the artist’s proposals and working closely with both the selected artist and local community in making their concept a reality.”
Artists have until 11 February 2022 to submit a proposal. The full budget, including installation is £15,000 and full details of this public art competition, artist brief and how to submit an entry can be found at: https://www.bbsconstruction.com/file_upload/files/Wider%20artist%20brief_December%202021.pdf