Following on from our article last week, we are excited to bring you more details about the first Public Art project to be implemented from our Public Art Strategy. This project called 'Art Leading Wayfinding' is one that aims to improve the wayfinding around Thame so that residents and visitors are encouraged to walk more, rather than always use their cars. The project will eventually result in 3 exciting trails leading across Thame, that you can enjoy as an activity in itself, but will also play a crucial role in helping people to walk easily across the town, using the footpaths and infrastructure already in place. The trails will include:
- A story trail (leading from Thame Meadows estate on the Oxford Road into the town centre)
- A fun fact trail (leading from the town centre across Lea Park - helping you to connect easily with locations such as the skate park, football stadium and rugby club)
- A poetry trail (this will not be completed in this phase of the work, but is a project for the future that will connect the town centre to the new housing estates on Wenman Road)
In July 2021 Thame Town Council announced the successful appointment of public artist, Nicola Henshaw to lead on this work. Nicola has previously worked on many public art projects and the Public Art Working Group was drawn to both the quality of her craftmanship as well as her passion for engaging with the community. In her own words:
‘The public art commissions I undertake involve community workshops which are an integral part of the artwork I create. This gives the community an important sense of ownership and involvement in the project. A love of narrative forms is key to my work. I am fascinated by stories and social history; memories, which can be passed down to future generations, create a legacy and pride in belonging to a community’.
Nicola has been leading on this first project and next week we will give you details about the first stage of the process - the creation of a 'Story for Thame', key to the first trail outlined above.
