Details revealed for official launch of Great Yarmouth's new public art trail
Members of the public are being invited to join special guests for the official launch of Great Yarmouth's major new art trail.
The launch gets underway at noon on Friday, June 13, with a ceremonial unveiling of the Yarn with Ernie sculpture in the town's recently revamped Market Place.
There will be short speeches by Henry Cator OBE, High Steward of Great Yarmouth, Chair of Great Yarmouth Town Deal Board and Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk, as well as the Mayor of the Borough of Great Yarmouth, Councillor Carl Annison.
A number of the artists who created pieces for the trail will also be at the launch to talk to people about their specially commissioned works. Great Yarmouth Heritage Guides will then be on hand to lead tours of the sculptures and distribute free maps of the route.
Among the guests will be a representative of the Ukrainian Embassy as well as the former Sheriff to the Mayor of London, Andrew Mardson. Both are attending in honour of Alex Lidagovsky - whose seven-metre-tall Tightrope Walker is the UK's first permanent sculpture by a Ukrainian artist.
Mr Lidagovsky was forced to leave Kyiv after the Russian invasion in 2022. His studio was subsequently bombed before he arrived in the UK.
The free outdoor gallery follows a circular route from the Market Place to the seafront, taking in St George's Road and park, Regent Road and Church Plain. Each artwork has an interpretation board for people to learn more. A free map of the trail will also be available at the new library in The Place, the Town Hall, Great Yarmouth Minster, the town's railway station and the Marina Centre on the seafront.
The trail has 11 sculptures - focusing on themes of maritime and medieval history, arts heritage, seaside, transport and energy, and is designed to create a rich and involving experience for locals and visitors.
The trail also features a 12th piece of art - a unique section of tiled paving outside Christchurch created by Great Yarmouth's Reprezent Project to reflect the cultural impact of the town's Portuguese community. It is the only piece of traditional Portuguese pavement art (Calçada Portuguesa) in the country.
The hand-crafted artwork features Phillippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415, and the wife of King John I. Born into England's Royal Family, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor - the oldest alliance in the world between two countries. A key historical figure, her children - who included Henry the Navigator - became known as the 'Illustrious Generation' in Portugal.
The £330,000 trail was entirely funded by the Government via Town Deal finance, with the money being ring-fenced for use only on the artworks to create a major new cultural asset for the town.
The council also secured an additional £50,000 of Government Future High Streets funding to commission Yarn with Ernie in the Market Place.
Councillor Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: ''The new trail is simply fantastic. I, like many others, have watched it take shape over the past few months and am delighted it is now complete.
''We were grateful to secure Government funding for this new attraction, which is a real asset for the town and improves our tourism offer.
''These high-quality sculptures all have a link to Great Yarmouth and I am sure people will take them to their hearts and enjoy them for many years to come.''
The council worked with organisations including the Royal Society of Sculptors and Norfolk and Suffolk Art Forums, to invite submissions before councillors, officers and representatives from The Arts Council and Historic England, selected the artworks from a total of 98 put forward.
The pieces all celebrate the best of Great Yarmouth, from its role as a circus capital, its maritime and medieval history, through to its embracing of clean energy and transport links.
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