OPUN Arts
Introducing OPUN Arts – brand new, arts led Design Support services. Helping developers, design teams, local authorities and local communities build the arts into built environment projects. OPUN Arts can help at all stages of projects – and with large regeneration schemes through to smaller space based projects.
Art in the Built Environment
The National Planning Policy Framework requires a ‘high quality built environment, with accessible local services that reflect the community’s needs and supports its health, social and cultural well-being’. Arts bring creativity and innovation to projects driving up design quality building distinctiveness and character to places and spaces. Arts led consultation ensures deep community engagement, can support successful planning applications as well as increasing commercial value for buildings and public realm.
Integrating arts at the early stages of built environment schemes is recommended. OPUN Arts offers a full range of support services from visioning and policy through to delivery and completion of schemes. Our OPUN Arts team guarantee the highest quality advice and support in the following areas:
OPUN Arts Visioning and policy setting
• Lining up the policy context for projects in a range of settings
• Conceptual ideas generation and long-term visioning, community enabling
• Community consultation and facilitation of multidisciplinary teams
• Public art and design audits, options analysis for arts inputs, feasibility studies,
• Public art and design strategies and policies
OPUN Arts Planning support
• Presentations and visual representations to garner high level support
• Public art and design statements, commissioning frameworks and technical support
• Advice and guidance for developers, commissioners and local authorities
OPUN Arts Project Support
• Project planning and management , translating between public/private partners
• Commissioning artists, managing design competitions, artists briefs,
• Legal, technical and maintenance advice
• External communications and community engagement
• Monitoring and evaluation
OPUN Arts Advocacy and fundraising support
• Events, go-see visits, presentations and building high level support for projects
• Fundraising strategies and advocacy programmes
Please contact Sally Bassett to discuss your project needs and to develop a package of bespoke support from OPUN Arts.
You can also access OPUN Arts support through our subscription service for local authorities. Our Design Review service can also include OPUN Arts expertise. If you are interested please get in touch.
Creative Development Programme: Case Studies of our Previous Work
Arts Council funded OPUN Creative development programme has been completed on the four projects listed below. Material on these is included in our portfolio section.
Building & Adaptation Design Support
Past experience leading on Building Schools for the Future , OPUN has experience of working in the education sector and in accessing funding methods to ensure the development and creation of better environments for schools, and in the participation of artists and young people. OPUN can assist in creative solutions whether your school is adapting its existing building or building new facilities.
Artists in the Classroom
OPUN has practitioners who are CRB compliant – so working with young people and teachers, OPUN can facilitate design practitioners and artists, to bring creativity and value of art and design into the curriculum and into the broader learning set for children, their parents and the community in which the school sits.
Please contact sally@opun.org.uk if you would like to find out more about these or other arts projects.
Neil Hodgkin was seeking support for his organisation’s vision of constructing 50 Straw Bale houses as part...
OPUN enabled the Academy and photographer/digital artist Paula Moss to plan the use of new space resulting...
Tubespace at Lady Manners School, Bakewell, Derbyshire OPUN enabled artist Walter Jack and students at Lady...
