Craft Town Public Art Commission: Public Voting to Select the Winning Proposal in early 2020

Walter Bailey, Manuela Kagerbauer and David Mayne are shortlisted for Craft Town Public Art Commission

Exhibition: 11 January - 29 February 2020, Tue-Sat 10-5 | Presentations by shortlisted artists in the gallery, 20 January 2pm | The winner announced on the gallery website: 7 February.

We are delighted to invite the local community and visitors alike to vote and select the winning proposal for a new Craft Town Public Art commission.

Proposals were invited during the autumn for a public sculpture / artwork that is inspired by the heritage and tradition of crafts in Farnham. The artwork will celebrate crafts that have been practised in the area during the Roman period: the district was known as a pottery centre due to its supply of gault clay, oak woodland for fuel and good communication links. Kilns dating as far as AD 100 have been found in the area. Today, Farnham hosts a remarkable number of major institutions and makers who dedicate time, resources and creative energies to sustaining craft as one of the great defining features of place here. The sculpture aims to enhance the public knowledge and understanding of the heritage while also bringing pleasure to the community and visitors alike.

The sculpture will be located next to a busy car park in the courtyard of the grade II listed building of the New Ashgate Gallery Trust in Waggon Yard.

The shortlisted artists are Walter Bailey, Manuela Kagerbauer and David Mayne and were selected by a panel with strong public art and sculpture expertise, including Charlotte Hall (Waverley Borough Council), Vikki Leedham (Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden), Sue Farrow (Farnham Public Art Trust), Sarah Carrington Hubbard (freelance public art consultant) and Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery). We would also like to thank our craft town partners, Rebecca Skeels, Alison Clarke (Surrey Hill Arts) and Nicky Lawrence (University for the Creative Arts) for their support and advice.

Proposals by three shortlisted artists will be exhibited at the New Ashgate Gallery from 11 January to 29 February and the public will be invited to vote and select the winning proposal - to be announced on 7 February. The sculpture will be installed in October 2020 - during the craft month in Farnham.

The public art commission is supported by Arts Council England.