A unique event was held at Board in the Southampton recently to match pub owners with local artists.
Southampton Forward’s Pub Cultures project wants to celebrate pubs and their heritage by helping them form partnerships with local artists that will result in bespoke works of art.
Last year, pubs were invited to apply to be part of the scheme, and landlords/landladies from the winning venues took part in a ‘matching’ event to meet participating artists.
“The winning pubs will host community events this spring to draw out stories and develop ideas for an art installation,” said Gabby Hyman from Southampton Forward. “Then, once everything has been agreed, a unique piece of artwork will be created by a local artist for each pub, completely free of charge, and installed at the venue.”
The results will be art in the broadest sense – anything from a mosaic in the entrance to a mural by a professional graffiti artist in the loos, quotes from locals painted on the walls framing the bar, or a sculpture in the garden. “Whatever the art piece, we want the community to help design it with their stories, for future generations to admire,” said Gabby.
For the pubs, it’s an opportunity to engage their community in something exciting, while at the same time thanking people for their custom. “As well as a beautiful piece of artwork that they can display in their venue, this project will help pub landlords/landladies understand why people love their pub, inspiring more people to visit, encouraging repeat custom and making people feel more connected to their local,” said Gabby.
“Many of us don’t realise the fascinating histories behind our local pubs and this project will help create a talking point that truly celebrates the familiar hostelries at the heart of our communities.”
At the matching event artists expressed their enthusiasm for the project. One said that pub culture was an important part of every community and that “This is a chance to give something back,” while another felt one of the highlights of the evening was “Meeting landlords from such a wide range of venues and seeing what’s already happening in pubs all across the city.”
Landlords praised Southampton Forward’s initiative in creating this opportunity, saying it had “Fired up our customers to put us forward for the project as a place that they love,” and recognising that Pub Cultures is “A chance to support artists’ careers too.”
The final artworks will be unveiled in March 2025.