Professor Keith Wilson shortlisted for £2 million Birmingham Big Art Project

Professor Keith Wilson has made it to the final of 5 artists shortlisted for the Birmingham Big Art Project, which will commission a new £2 million artwork for Birmingham.

The Birmingham Big Art Project was established by Birmingham Civic Society to mark its centenary celebrations to create a lasting piece of permanent public art for the city. The objective of the Project is to commission and install an iconic piece of public art that is high quality, innovative, permanent and low in maintenance for Birmingham that will gain international recognition and put the city on the world’s cultural map. With hopes of community engagement, in line with culture and wellbeing, this iconic piece of art hopes to become an important heritage for future generations of Birmingham. The overall goal of this project is to encourage citizenship and civic pride amongst the city’s diverse communities through public art.

The five shortlisted artists will be invited to shared their vision with the public from June 2016 to January 2017 at Millennium Point, the Library of Birmingham and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The new artwork will be erected in 2018 on a parcel of land next to the main entrance to Eastside City Park and near the new HS2 Curzon Street station. The winner will be announced early next year.

Keith Wilson is a Professor of Sculpture and researcher at the Art and Design Research Centre (ADRC) at Sheffield Hallam University.