Page 37 - ALG Issue 3 2020
P. 37

    Gilesgate
Allotment
Association: Community art feature
In 2016 Gilesgate Allotment Association consulted with members about priorities for improving our site. Two major areas emerged as a priority: accessways and car parking. Previous articles on these have reported on securing the funding and installing
of the improved facilities. This article outlines the final phase: an art feature to be installed at the entrance to
the allotments, replacing a patch of unsightly waste ground.
Funding for the art project came from two sources: Durham County Council Section 106 arts budget, and the Small Arts Grant of the Durham County Community Trust. Our total budget of £15,000 was for the recruitment of a local artist, community consultation on the nature and design of the artwork, and the installation of the art feature. We are grateful to the funding bodies for their support and encouragement throughout this project.
An extensive process of recruiting a local artist resulted in a shortlist of five talented individuals, each working with different materials. Key to the selection process were community consultation, the robust nature of the artwork and a design that represented the allotment. The local artist who best met these
requirements was Graeme Hopper, a blacksmith who has installed a range of metal sculptures both locally and nationally.
Consultation with members of the community was a key aspect of this project. Graeme met with the Gilesgate Residents Association to explain the project in detail and to gather their ideas and views. He also met some plotholders individually on the allotment site, and others at a special meeting organised by the committee. Some committee members and plotholders visited the artist's workshop to see examples of his metal sculptures.
The artist also spent an afternoon at
a local primary school with a class
of children, showing examples of his work, explaining the project and inviting them to draw their ideas of what
could be included in the design. The children visited the allotment and met plotholders, including both horticulture and pigeon plots. We are not able to publish photographs of the children, but their drawings influenced the final design of the sculpture.
Plotholders and their families now have a pride in the allotments, and the sculpture has helped advertise the allotments within the local community.
Artwork under construction at the artist's workshop
      Local residents now have an attractive sculpture to replace the previously litter- strewn waste ground
The school children have greater appreciation of healthy eating and
how to grow your own food. One of
our objectives was to raise the profile
of the allotment site and this has certainly been achieved. Our waiting
list has grown since the installation
of the artwork – even before the emergence of Covid-19, which has created an increased demand for allotments. Local residents now have an attractive sculpture to replace the previously litter-strewn waste ground. The wider community of Gilesgate and Sherburn Road, plus passing traffic, can appreciate the positive impact it
has on the area as the art installation
is located on the main road. We had hoped to collect feedback from everyone invited to our official opening event
of the art installation. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, this event has been postponed.
The project has prompted us to embark on developing an additional area of waste ground at the allotment to
create further allotments and to add some allotment facilities. The land
was previously owned and managed
by the Durham County Council but
has recently been transferred to
our Allotment Association for us to develop and manage. We are currently considering further funding for this next phase of the project.
Gilesgate Allotments Committee
   The site area before the artwork installation
  Allotment and Leisure Gardener 37
































































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