Students set in stainless steel at Harrogate's library
An art project by Harrogate College students with designs to brighten up the hoardings at Harrogate library during its £3.4 million refurbishment was unveiled on 8 June.
The reading and writing themed design will transform the hoardings into art panels, forming a back-drop to the town’s Rose Gardens. The art students will also reveal three statues of themselves - Abigail O’Brien, Ryan Deighton and Gemma Wheelhouse will be immortalised in stainless steel reading and leaning against letters of the alphabet. This art project has been carried out on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate in Bloom who have jointly funded it together with sponsorship from local family law specialists Stowe Family Law LLP.
Mrs Caroline Bayliss, Harrogate Councillor and member of the voluntary group Harrogate in Bloom, is delighted with the result. She added: “We want our town to look pristine during the judging for this year’s Britain in Bloom as we have been asked to represent Yorkshire in the Large Town Category. However, judges appreciate that any town may be a work in progress when a large project such as the library refurbishment is underway. One of the judging criteria is how councils work in partnership and with the local community. I am sure the judges will be impressed by this project which will do much to enhance the area throughout the library contract period. I am very grateful to the students and their tutor, Adam King and sponsors Stowe Family Law LLP. I would also like to thank Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team which has managed the details.”
Derek Law, Corporate Director for Adult and Community Services, North Yorkshire County Council said: “The County Council has invested £1.9 million in creating a state-of-the-art library in Harrogate, with the remaining funding coming from a Big Lottery Grant. The hoardings are a fantastic backdrop to the Rose Gardens and prove just how wonderful a redevelopment can look while work is in progress. This exciting art project is a fine example of the way in which the County Council is working closely with local partners and community and voluntary groups to make the new library into a community hub.”
This art project will have a lasting legacy as the statues will remain in place and the art panels will be used in other projects once the library is complete. Adam King, Art and Design Tutor at Harrogate College says that it has been a wonderful project for the students to work on. He said: “Abigail, Ryan and Gemma have all recently had their final results and I am happy to say that all three received Distinctions. They are now on their way to university to study graphic design and advertising. As well as coming up with the design for the art panels, they had to negotiate with the clients, organise the printing of the panels including sourcing material suitable for outside production as well as managing the design and completion of the stainless steel statues. All of this is has been valuable experience for them.”
