Public invited to hear proposals of artists hoping to regenerate Wolverhampton underpass

The public is being invited to hear artist's proposals on how they plan to regenerate a Wolverhampton underpass.

Part of the underpass at chapel Ash due to be regenerated by artists as part of the ROUNNDABOUT project

The Chapel Ash underpass is set to undergo a transformation after The Asylum Art Gallery LTD was granted funding from Arts Council England, Wolverhampton City Council, and Wolverhampton Arts and Culture - as part of Wolverhampton council's cultural action zone and event.

An open call was put out to artists for three people who will each have a two-month residency at Asylum Art Gallery, creating their own layers for the space; guided by community board members representing the residents of Wolverhampton.

Now visitors are being welcomed to go and listen to the chosen artist proposals on how they intend to regenerate the Chapel Ash underpass plus take part in an open forum and workshops where they can ask questions and put forward ideas to the community board and artists.

An Artist Presentation & Discussion event is being held at Wolverhampton Art Gallery this weekend where the chosen artists for the ROUNDABOUT project will propose how they intend to regenerate the Chapel Ash underpass.

On Sunday, October 29, from 11am to 12.30pm, organisers of the event want to hear from graffiti artists, local groups, and businesses who already use the Chapel Ash roundabout. It is also an opportunity for local performers and artists, who may want to respond with micro-commissions later in the project, to learn about what themes and mediums will be explored in the space. All thoughts and questions will be listened to and supported where possible.

This event is taking place in The Georgian Room at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and light refreshments will be provided.

Asylum Art Gallery Ltd have been successful in securing Arts Council England funding, with additional match from their partners, to deliver a public art project through three artist commissions with mid-career-established artists from the West Midlands.

This project directly aligns with the Wolverhampton City Councils cultural action zone and event city strategy.

The ambition of this project is to drive footfall between a public space and the rest of Wolverhampton, cross promoting and germinating organically between the public space outcomes, and the councils’ resources and infrastructures. The ambition is not only to work with stakeholders of the city to provide new spaces for programming but also signposting through the council's resources, drawing together different audiences.

This 12-month project brings together Wolverhampton City Council, Art Gallery (WAG) and representatives from eight community groups/organisations. During two-month residencies at Asylum Art gallery, three artists will create a layer for the space, collaborating with the community board. The board will commission local creatives and invite their communities to test different uses for the space at the end of each residency, and a large community-led unveiling at the end of the project.

At the end of all the residencies, the process, concepts and designs, elements of the outcomes and other works that are relevant from the artists practises will be showcased at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

This project is also part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.