The Value of Visual Art Projects

At the Furness Pocket Park Mosaic launch last Saturday, I was speaking to one of the organisers who was emphasising the value of such art projects.  She was passionately in favour and, in speaking to me, preaching to the converted.

As well as the actual objects, many of these project have a big community involvement aspect which helps draw people together.  You can see some pictures of the Furness mosaic workshops here.  This was also true of the artwork in Tubbs Road Pocket Park.  The mosaics there (below) were down by children at Furness Primary School.

In the case of Tubbs Road Pocket Park, the bidding process to get the funding also helped bring the Junction Association together.

However, artwork can also portray a corporate message, as with the Hazel Road artwork below, where I managed to get funding to promote Fairtrade.

It can also be used to discourage graffiti, as at the Seneca recycling facility in Neasden, which is thought to be the longest stretch of mural art in Europe.

Temporary Arts projects can draw attention to changes in the area as with the art on the hoardings outside Willesden Library.

Art projects really should be seen as more than just an add on.  They create much more value than they cost.