This summer, a brand new and interactive sculpture trail will be heading to town, hoping to turn heads as well as pages. Newark Town Centre will play host to a book themed art trail from July 11 to coincide with the start of Newark Book Festival, but will be enjoyed all summer long until September 5. ‘Meet Me at the Benches’ is a project organised by Newark Creates and will see 11 book shaped benches dotted around the town, which have been designed by talented artists from across the East Midlands.
The trail is similar to other projects which has seen things such as brightly coloured animal sculptures adding a splash of colour in towns across the UK. Once the trail has launched, a map will help visitors to follow the route of all 11 benches as they showcase a range of themes from the rich history and heritage of Newark or the beauty of nature, to cultural stories, literature and nursery rhymes. Each bench be a unique work of art and will also host pop-up events and workshops, where people can take part in drop in story-telling sessions, or find out more about some of the community and cultural organisations in Newark.
One bench was created by artist Dahlia Lee who worked with community groups to gather their ideas on what the bench should look like. Dahlia worked with the Newark Book Festival young ambassadors and the Open Doors Creative Influencers and their families through two workshops to come up with her unique bench. Another bench was designed by students taking Art.