Shopfront art aims to bring life to street

EMPTY shop fronts on a Yorkshire street are providing a blank canvas for artists – who are being offered £12,000 for each one decorated.

Officials hope the temporary artworks will lure shoppers back to Whitefriargate, which used to be Hull's premier shopping street.

So far the Hull-born artist Pinky has hung seven banners and installed brightly-coloured vinyls to jazz up windows. A second artist, Andrew Kearney, will be displaying his work on Whitefriargate from the middle of August.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Arc, the architecture centre for Hull and the Humber region, is now searching for two more artists to create temporary works "above, around or on" empty shops, with the first in time for the Christmas rush.

The two 10-week "interventions" are being paid for by Arts Council funding and are expected to cost 24,000 in total.

Hull Council Cabinet member Rick Welton said: "That doesn't seem an excessive budget when you consider the amount of work the artist puts in.

"It's one of these quite small interventions that end up making people take Hull seriously. The public reaction has been very supportive and it certainly makes the place look better." Expressions of interest need to be submitted by 5pm on July 26.

Related topics: