Culture hub Wigan Steam launches online exhibition of town's arts and heritage

A Wigan culture hub is giving residents the chance to explore their borough’s arts and heritage during lockdown with an online exhibition.
The mosaic under the railway bridge on WallgateThe mosaic under the railway bridge on Wallgate
The mosaic under the railway bridge on Wallgate

Wigan Steam has launched Our Town, celebrating some of the best-known artistic figures and cultural venues from throughout the local area’s history.

The organisation, based in the town centre, originally planned to create resources for schools and youth organisations wanting to do the Arts Award, a leadership and cultural accolade for under-25s.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But with the lockdown in place and the normal education system ground to a halt it decided to tweak the offering to also give culture fans something to enjoy while they are being forced to stay at home.

The George Formby statue in the Grand ArcadeThe George Formby statue in the Grand Arcade
The George Formby statue in the Grand Arcade

Wigan Steam creative director Louise Robson said: “Originally it was going to be an exhibition in our gallery space, but obviously that wasn’t able to happen.

“We’re basing our Arts Award resources around Wigan’s cultural history and we were going to build an exhibition around that to launch it.

“We’ve ended up with an exhibition built into the website. We’ve also added some things for people to enjoy at home. There are some activities people can do related to the exhibition.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The online trip through Wigan’s arts and culture includes luminaries such as artists Theodore Major and James Lawrence Isherwood, indie group The Verve, star of stageand screen Sir Ian McKellen and iconic entertainer George Formby.

The exhibition also has materials about venues such as Wigan Casino, the centre of the Northern Soul scene.

There is also a section about public art with images taken by local photographer Martin Holden of sculptures, murals, paintings and other artworks located around the borough.

The exhibition has an interactive map so people can see the art on Google Street View, while other activities to keep families going during lockdown include a challenge to build a city out of cardboard.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Louise says more things to do will be added to the website as time goes on.

The Arts Award resources, which are the result of a partnership between the council and Curious Minds, the Arts Council’s bridge organisation for the North West, will be online permanently so schools and youth organisations can take part once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

To view Our Town, go to www.wigansteam.co.uk/exhibition

Related topics: