ARTWORK commemorating the contribution communities made in response to the Covid pandemic will be installed in a Somerset town.

Mendip District Council plans to install a high-quality, long-lasting piece along the multi-user path in Shepton Mallet. 

The council is seeking expressions of interest for a new public art commission.

The artwork will mark the contribution communities made in response to Covid and highlight the importance of exercise and active travel during lockdowns.

A £5,000 contribution from the council's Creative Mendip fund has been matched by an anonymous charitable foundation, giving an overall budget of £10,000.

Up to £1,000 will be offered to cover installation costs.

A maximum of three artists will be invited to develop proposals for the site. A payment of £300 will be made to each artist to cover their expenses. 

The project brief says: “The intention is to commission a piece of public art that will be high quality, lasting, appropriate to its surrounding and that has a special meaning in the Mendip area.

“By identifying an outdoor space for the installation in Shepton Mallet adjacent to a new multi-user path within the town, acknowledgement is made of the importance of walking, cycling and other active travel during the times of lockdown.”

Interested artists should read the brief in full before submitting an expression of interest by Friday, November 4.

The Creative Mendip and charitable match funding must be committed by December 31, although the project can run into 2023.

Money from the Creative Mendip fund has been allocated to other projects in each of the district's five towns and its rural areas.

For more information, visit www.mendip.gov.uk/article/11222/Mendip-launches-public-art-commission.