Archived press release
Date Published: 28/08/09
Artwork in Shops
Dunstable Town Council has launched an innovative new scheme to display artwork in the windows of empty town centre shops, with the support of Dunstable College and the Quadrant Shopping Centre.
The giant posters currently on display in several of the empty shop units in the Quadrant Shopping Centre feature the work of talented local students from the National Diploma Art and Design course at Dunstable College.
It has been well documented, that boarded-up, empty shops, create a sense of dereliction and contribute to the decline in town centres and the effect on Dunstable is no exception. However, these empty units can also offer an excellent opportunity for a temporary display of information or in this case an exhibition of artwork, acting as a gallery space in the very heart of our town centre.
As well as providing a ready-made gallery to showcase our local artistic accomplishments there is also a commercial aspect to the scheme. By brightening up the empty shops and creating a sense of vibrancy, the aim is to make the retail space attractive to potential tenants and the area generally more appealing for shoppers.
It is hoped that this is the first step in a scheme that can be extended to other areas of the town centre in the near future, including work from schools and other local organisations whilst further brightening up the town centre.
This great idea to brighten up the town and showcase local talent has been developed from an initial suggestion by Dunstable Resident Moira Cavanagh.
Artwork was contributed by the following students, who have just completed the National Diploma Art and Design Course at Dunstable College:
Katana Ashby
Aiza Butt
Beth Dudley
Kayleigh Larkin
Jonathan Parkes
Jade Sharp