Advertise on podcast: Talking Public Art

In our first episode for Season 3 we talk to Artistic Director Brigitte Orasinski of Folkestone-based arts company, Strange Cargo. About: community participation and working with large numbers of people; on bringing the best that the arts can offer to people’s doorsteps; and on having a hand in the restoration of Folkestone Station.  Plus: the importance of celebration, 29 years of carnival and big old chunky guide books.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: LinkedIn connect @FrancisKnight Ltd  Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting! Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

This week we talk to Chris Dixon, Arts  and Cultural Industries Manager at Ashford Borough Council. About: surviving (or not surviving) in the arts; building networks and relationships, creative hooks and creating the conditions for public art to happen; and the need for vibrancy, fun and innovation.  Plus: ‘Network Rail grey’, fibre glass dogs and public art in football stadiums. Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

This week we talk to Jo Verrent, Director of Unlimited. About: Supporting disabled artists;  getting too big for your boots, rubbish off-the-shelf policies; and  Grantium, the dreaded Arts Council application portal.  Plus: being bloody-minded, life/work balance and reducing exploitation in the cultural sector.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In our fourth episode for Season 3 we talk to Victoria Jones the founder of T Projects an Arts consultancy delivering public art, creative strategies & artist development initiatives in Australia and the UK.     About: Waffle, shonky behaviour and the importance of being credited; On curating internationally and why public art can be a gateway drug to culture; And on her public art mentoring programme.  Plus: Liking BIG, stalking artists and the stress-free joys of pottery.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

For our final episode in Series 3 we talk to Birmingham-based landscape architect, Joe Gerrard. About: His fascination from a young age with design and engineering; On understanding the landscape and designing with spaces and blobs; And on learning the language of artists and creativity; Plus: winning a lego competition as a kid, playing his retro synth and putting Birmingham’s jewellery quarter on the world stage.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In our first episode, we talk to Mark Osborn, Assistant Director of Housing at Gravesham Borough Council. About: the role of public art in giving a place an identity; why a landscape-led development is usually a more successful one; and why public art should be thought-provoking and never designed by committee. Plus: reinventing town centres, a funny story about the Flying Geese in Ashford, and the joys of getting out a sketchbook.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode, we talk to artist Kerry Lemon About: escaping being pigeon-holed as an illustrator and getting into public art; being a one-woman B Corp; mentoring and supporting women to do what she does; leaving a societal and environmental legacy. Plus: being open, honest and sharing; why she can’t believe her own luck, and tap dancing!  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode, we talk to Paul Cowell, Head of Culture & Libraries at Medway Council. About: growing up in Bradford and being inspired by his Mum’s involvement with Am Dram; creating environments and loving pavilions; the importance of words in public art. Plus: the positive power of beauty, dreams of a giant bobble hat and Take That.  We talk about links to several projects mentioned by Paul: Peveril Gardens by Sanchez Benton Together by Lucid Creates You & Me & Me & You by Anthony Burrill Me. Here Now by Mark Titchner  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode we talk to Caroline Hicks, Director of Growth & Community for Dartford Borough Council. About: the days when local authorities still had money; getting young creatives into Canterbury Market; commissioning bronze sculptures of Mick and Keef for Dartford Town Centre; the fear of a blank canvas and stretchy parameters. Plus: capturing the magic, measuring wow and glass fusing!  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In our final episode we talk to artists Nicole Mollett and José den Hartog. About: the rewards of community engagement and tapping into local knowledge; making things that people can use in their everyday lives; a shared love of books and drawing; and the importance of trust and letting artists do their job. Plus: fountains and follies, grotesques in old churches and a stuffed cat called Willem.  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode Louise and Laura talk with planning director Kathy Putnam about:  her journey from being a Conservation Officer in Liverpool and Hampshire to overseeing urban design in Medway  working as a woman in a male-dominated sector  why Anywheresville and mediocrity is no longer good enough Plus: Conningbrook Lakes, being Irish and talking to sheep  Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode Louise and Laura talk with Artist Katayoun Dowlatshahi about:  how being an outsider can add value to a development working around the challenges of budget limitations being environmentally conscious and our role as caretakers for the planet Plus: bee-keeping, fungi and willow weaving    Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode Louise and Laura talk with Artist Chris Tipping and Landscape Architect Mark Fisk about the importance of:  - not always having a plan and allowing processes to evolve   - responding to local flavour and the feel and history of a place   - the High Street and outdoor space  - making places distinctive     Plus: biscuits at long meetings, swimming in the sea and Rochester Riverside Phase 3 Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode Louise and Laura talk with Artist Maria Amidu about:  why she turned from craft-maker to working in the public realm  the importance of rooting a project in the community the interplay between the initial brief and what you eventually decide to do   Plus: looking out for Wivelsfield on the London to Brighton train and the delights of Agatha Christie    Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

In this episode Louise and Laura talk with Writer Mark Hewitt about their own work as Public Art Consultants at FrancisKnight and:  the challenge involved with keeping public art as a priority on large-scale projects the importance of bringing artists in at the beginning of a development  understanding how artists work  reflecting on the key themes that have emerged in this Talking Public Art podcast series Plus: work/life balance, having fun, the wow factor and whether or not their hometown of Maidstone is still beige    Contact Talking Public Art Podcast: Instagram us at @artbirdsfk Linkedin connect @ FrancisKnight Ltd Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!