Mining rich seam of art at old pit (From St Helens Star)

Mining rich seam of art at old pit

4:29pm Tuesday 5th December 2006

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BRIAN Spencer, the St Helens Council Leader who once worked as an electrician at Sutton Manor colliery, is welcoming news of a major art project on the site. Brian believes it will serve as a fitting tribute to the generations of pitmen who worked there until the mine closed in 1991.

Sutton Manor is joining an elite number of select prime locations throughout the UK, with Channel 4's confirmation that it will become home to a "Big Art" project as part of a major new television series to be screened in April 2008. Channel 4's Big Art Project is the UK's biggest ever public art scheme, with over 1,400 sites across the country nominated by the public.

Having made the shortlist of 12, the St Helens site just missed out on becoming one of the six winning locations announced earlier this year.

Undaunted, the local team continued to develop their ideas for delivering a landmark piece of new public art, while rustling up additional funding and talking to the people behind the Liverpool Biennial. These efforts and continuing local commitment were enough to convince the Big Art Trust, to review the decision and include the St.Helens site after all.

Sutton Manor employed more than 1,600 people in its heyday, before closing in 1991. The shockwaves of that closure are still being felt in the community today. In the countdown to Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture in 2008 the site also enjoys a strategic location near Junction 7 of the M62.

The intention is for the artwork to symbolise the positive post-industrial and cultural transformation our town has undergone in recent years - built on a long, proud heritage, fuelled by a spirit of innovation, and signalling a promising future. As with all the Big Art sites, the whole process from project development, artist selection, commissioning, and production, to ultimate unveiling in 2008, will be documented on Channel 4. The focus will be firmly on the local community and former miners who helped nominate the Sutton Manor site.

Peter Jenkinson, founding director of the Walsall Art Gallery and Big Art advisory team member said; "The enthusiasm and humour of former miners we have already interviewed at Sutton Manor will certainly make for engaging television. The St Helens project is a worthy addition to the series, and we have no doubt that it can be delivered due to the dedication and commitment of all those involved".

Brian Spencer added: "Being selected for the Channel 4 Big Art television series is fantastic news for St Helens. Thanks to our excellent location between Liverpool and Manchester, at the heart of the regional motorway network, this landmark new artwork will act as a beacon for Merseyside and the North West that will quite literally put St Helens on the map.

"As not just the Leader of the Council, but also as someone who used to work at Sutton Manor myself, I am positive that this initiative will serve as a fitting tribute to the pride, industry, and adaptability of the miners formerly employed at the colliery, as well as to the spirit and vitality of the local community as a whole. Attracting new investment and visitors is at the heart of our ambitious economic development agenda, and showcasing St Helens' impressive renaissance on national television will certainly help achieve this."

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