In the early 2000's I advised the Grainger Town Project who were regenerating the historic centre of Newcastle. We established a public art panel bringing together key stakeholders and commissioned an overarching public arts strategy by BEAM. I then worked through my role at Commissions North/ Arts Council to identify artists and integrate the commissions within the programme of new public realm, lighting and capital developments which created more pedestrianisation, new public spaces. The programme of artists commissions sought to co-locate contemporary sculpture alongside Grainger Town's listed buildings and historic architecture. My approach included design commissions for emerging artists like Rupert Cramp, Catherine Bertola, Tod Hanson Kate Watkinson and Simon Watkinson, direct purchases from Sculpture at Goodwood of pieces by Sean Henry and new sculpture commissions by Eilish Oconnell, Danny Lane and Nigel Boonham whose statue of Cardinal Hume at St Mary's Cathedral attracted crowd funding from across the city..
The Grainger Town Project was a £120m, regeneration program (1997-2003) for the historic heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. This public-private partnership reversed a long period of decline by conserving and restoring its 19th-century classical architecture, improving the public realm with contemporary art, and revitalizing the area with new retail, leisure, and residential uses, transforming it into a thriving mixed-use urban quarter. The wider Grainger Town Project was funded by European ERDF funding with nearly £1.5m committed to public art commissions.
