Transported urges people to give Spalding arts projects a chance following negativity

Many locals have questioned the point of spending money on statues and willow sculptures bearing in mind the state of our public services - but the man behind an arts group is calling on people to give the projects a chance so the town can ‘rediscover itself’.

Transported Arts has come in for a bit of flack for schemes such as the mosaic for Spalding’s Abbey Passage or the MARK-It art trail from people who are rightly fed-up with driving along roads full of pot holes or struggling to get a GP appointment.

But Programme Director Nick Jones says this is ‘invalid criticism’ as the Arts Council and Lottery funding can not be used to fix our failing public infrastructure - as it has only been earmarked for creative endeavours.

Providing people with opportunities to ‘have a go’ at different art forms is the sole responsibility of Transported, said Mr Jones, and not creating an end product that will bring about a commercial change for the town.

Mr Jones said: “People need to come at what we are doing with an open mind. The phrase we use is to ‘give it a go’. If you are not interested in being involved that doesn’t give you a veto to stop us working with community groups that do what to work with us.

“I think it is about having a significant impact on the people we work with. People who feel better about their artistic ability as a consequence of coming to our workshop.

“We get a glimpse of the positivity as people collect leaflets (on the arts trails) from the South Holland Centre or download the software (for the ARTefact trail).

“The next bit is long-term impact for the town and that is not just down to Transported, it is down to every possible force in Spalding working together to rediscover itself, it’s strengths and uniqueness and to start to feel good about itself.”

Transported was formed ten years ago after a national study highlighted that Boston and South Holland residents did not feel a strong connection with culture and that it was something that happened in other areas.

Over the years, it has worked with community groups to identify projects which can help them to realise their objectives and to also help people feel a sense of pride.

Among the schemes, Transported has worked with Spalding Gentlemen Society on the the ARTefact trail which uses digital technology via phones to celebrate the museum’s collection along with the ‘booknooks’ placed in the former Beales store when it was empty along with putting on attractions in the town centre for the post covid Super Saturdays.

It has also worked with Spalding Civic Society to create the Market Art trail which is a series of small bronze statues in 14 locations to reflect the town’s importance to the food supply and it’s character.

The two groups also worked together to commission The Hiring sculpture in Hall Place to commemorate the annual hiring fair when people found jobs as domestics or ploughmen. They have recently received UKSPF funding to celebrate the livestock markets with sheep and cattle statues in Sheep Market and New Road.

One of the projects which has come in for a lot of criticism is the £35,000 flower parade mural in Abbey Passage as local did not agree with spending money on the unpleasant cut through.

But Mr Jones has responded to the criticism.

He said: “People have said ‘why are you spending money on that when the roads need improving and the potholes are not being filled’.

“It is invalid criticism as the money can’t be spent on roads or filling potholes or hospitals. All these things do need to be funded. We have been successful in getting arts council funding for the area - it’s not our job to fill potholes.”

He does feel that the projects do make a difference to the area but added that their main focus is the creative output.

Mr Jones said; “I think each little project is a step in the right direction. I think everyone recognises the challenges all market towns are facing.

“What I think is people’s time is precious. With weekends and the bank holidays, there is always competition of where people can go and spend their leisure time and spend their money in cafes and getting food.

“There’s a challenge for market towns to be realistic about what it is they can do to breath new life into these places.

“It is important to reflect that with arts council funding it is the artistic experience that comes first in consequence to the engagement.”

Mr Jones said that he appreciated that art and culture has not happened for a couple of decades in South Holland and that a lot of negativity has occurred as a result of what happened in the past.

Transported also helped to organise the very successful Light Night event, including a fire garden and various displays, at Ayscoughfee Hall and Gardens. This event is hoped to return next March.

Spalding Reconnected

Transported are also playing a key role in the Spalding Reconnected project which aims to celebrate the town’s heritage and history thanks to a £233,263 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Along with a heritage strategy, some activities with children, the scheme will also result in result in ‘wayfinder’ signs’ and willow sculptures along the river bank.

Three to four sculptures, which were designed to reflect eel traps, will be dotted along the river bank between High Bridge and Ayscoughfee Hall School.

Mr Jones said the public response to the structures has been positive with people sharing their childhood stories of fishing and eel catching while the artists have been working on the river bank.

He said: “I think it enhances the experience people have walking along the river bank. We have had people say ‘thank you’ and that it is really lovely to see.

“Will people come for a walk to discover these sculptures - no. If in five to ten years time, Spalding continues to invest in the public realm experience then yes I think people will at some point there will be a tipping point will travel to see these things.

“It is a long game. None of these individual projects bring this massive commercial change - that is not their purpose. It is creativity first and engagement to give opportunities to people.”

Abbey Passage

A £35,000 mosaic to celebrate Spalding Flower Parade is due to the installed in a town passageway next year.

Spalding’s Abbey Passage will soon be adorned with the flower parade themed Flos Pompa mosaic thanks to a £35,000 project thanks to funding from the Arts Council England and South Holland District Council.

There had been hopes for the mosaic to be hung in The Collection at Lincoln first but this has been shelved as they could not get the funding.

But the mosaic could be hung in The Broad Street Methodist Church in early spring and it is also due to be exhibited at The Pavilion in Springfields Outlet Shopping and Leisure.

This project had come in for a wealth of public criticism with many people feeling that it is a waste of money while others are hoping that it might prevent some of the anti-social behaviour which is happening in the area. There was also graffiti with a cheeky political message “30k p*** alleyway" left on the wall last year.

Mr Jones said that there had been a conversation was held with the district council about continuing with the project following the negative publicity.

He said: “They said ‘yes we have got the money and trying to use this project to start to alter the way people behave in that area to combat anti-social behaviour’.

“Our place is not combat anti-social behaviour, our place is not to tell the history of the town, our place is to do projects that do those things because other people want to see these things happening.”

What do you think? Will the arts change the town? Post a comment below…