Three artists are being given the opportunity to create work which captures the spirit of Midsomer Norton and its community.

The scheme seeks proposals for community-led artwork to be installed on High Street, coinciding with the launch of a public consultation for a new town centre plan in August 2025.

The new project is part of the IMAGINE Midsomer Norton programme which is being led by Bath and North East Somerset Council and Midsomer Norton town council. It is being produced by 44AD with support from the Midsomer Norton Community Trust and Midsomer Norton Music and Arts Festival.

The aim is for local artists to use their creativity to engage with the community of Midsomer Norton in shaping the vision for the town's regeneration.

Each commissioned artist will work with local people to develop an art which captures the essence of Midsomer Norton and its people, while expressing their hopes for the future of the town centre.

The resulting artworks will be installed in prominent locations along Midsomer Norton High Street to coincide with the launch of the consultation for the town centre plan, promoting the planning consultation to as wide a cross-section of the community as possible.

The project team at the IMAGINE Midsomer Norton Programme will be responsible for the selection of the three artists, assessed on the quality of their ideas, ability to engage with the local community and the feasibility of the project.

The budget for this commission is £3,000 per artist – including all artist fees, workshop engagement and the production of the work, exclusive of VAT.

Commissioned artworks will remain in the collection of the IMAGINE Midsomer Norton Programme, with copyright being retained by the artist.

The deadline to submit proposals is February 23, with successful applicants being notified on February 28. Final designs will need to be submitted in June, with the final installation taking place in July to coincide with the town centre plan consultation launch.

Selected artists must be based in Somer Valley or have strong links to the area, design and facilitate relevant project activities, be prepared to develop risk assessments, be open to media coverage and engage with the B&NES project team to develop an understanding of the regeneration scheme.

Any creative practice can be considered for this project, provided there is some display or pop up event element to the work. This may include walks, performances, temporary sculptures, window installations, and more.

The selected artists will be required to run at least one workshop with members of the community to inform the content of their work. When applying for the opportunity, artists must submit:

All installations must be located on Midsomer Norton High Street.

Access to the online proposal application form can be found on 44AD’s website.

Information about the regeneration project and art commission can be found at www.bathnesregen.co.uk.

Email Katie O’Brien at [email protected] or Beth Whalley at [email protected].