Oldmeldrum Public Art Project

Artist to meet local groups before embarking on town regeneration arts project.

An artist with close links to Aberdeenshire will be based in Oldmeldrum next month as part of a project to regenerate the town centre.

Last year the town successfully bid for a share of the Scottish Government's Town Centre Regeneration Fund. Part of that bid involved te development of a public art projecvt to enhance and enrich the town centre environmnet.

Janet McEwen was selected to work on the project by a group aligned to the Town Centre Working Group and Community Council.

A graduate in sculpture and ceramics from Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, and a resident in Deeside for 15 years, Janet has considerable experience of working as an artist in a variety of settings in the public realm, across the country.

Over the next few weeks Janet will be meeting meeting local people and community groups, to get a sense of what the town means to both residents and visitors. These impressions will inform the nature of a town centre art work which will aim to reflect the character and aspirations of the town.

Janet is currnetly organising a week-long programme of events under the banner "Oldmeldrum Public Art".

It starts on the 20th May with an open meeting at Oldmelrdum's British Legion from 7pm. At the meeting Janet will lead an informal discussion around ideas of what 'public art' might be, invite people to share their knowledge, perceptions, and feelings about Oldmelrum - and propose possible themes for the artwork.

"I feel Oldmeldrum is really blessed in having a proper town square," she said. " To have a central social and trading point would seem a real advantage at a time when nationally there is an increased interest in supporting 'local' producers and businesses. "As the current building works in the square are progressing, its now really possible to begin to see what the space will finally look like on, how it might function, and also consider what would be an appropriate artistic intervention.

"At the moment there are no fixed ideas about the artwork and there is still an opportunity for anyone interested to influence the outcome.

"From early conversations in the town there seems to be no shortage of creative ideas and thinkers, and I really do hope that the week of events at the end of May, which aims be both stimulating and enjoyable, will give me an opportunity to hear more.'

Following the open meeting, the week of events which will consider different aspects of the town to which anyone is invited.

Throughout the week beginning May 23rd, there will be talks and walks led by invited specialists on local geology, archaeology, and architectural heritage, within and around Oldmeldrum.

Janet McEwan will be in the Community Café on the 27th and 28th May and anyone is welcome to drop by for a cup of tea and a chat about the project.

The events will culminate in an afternoon of fun in the new square on the 29th May 2010.

Download a Poster for the programme by right-clicking here.

To download more details of the Programme of Events (summarised below) please right-click here.

Draft Programme of Events: