Tŷ Pawb has been bringing the international spotlight to Wrexham once again!
The multi-award winning arts, markets and community hub has been featured in a glowing case study by Amsterdam based urban planning agency – Pop Up City.
Pop Up City describe themselves as “an agency specialised in strategies to create places that are future-proof…every day, we help governments, non-profits, and enterprises create places that are liveable, authentic, and sustainable..”
They have worked with some prestigious major partners including Amsterdam City Council, The European Commission and The Hague Museum.
They also have over 80,000 followers on social media – pretty impressive credentials!
The case study was full of praise for Wrexham’s cultural gem. Here’s a snippet of what they had to say:
“In the heart of the Welsh town of Wrexham lies a cultural gem that celebrates art, community and creativity. Tŷ Pawb…. a more inspiring example of multifunctional redevelopment than Tŷ Pawb cannot be found. In this hybrid community centre in Wrexham, housed in an old market hall, everything flows together harmoniously. From cultural events to market stalls for local entrepreneurs — a place has been created here that gives every city dweller a reason to visit.”
A global gathering
The case study wasn’t the only recent international endorsement for Tŷ Pawb. The centre also hosted a tour for the International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art (IKT) as part of their 2023 Annual Congress.
The group included around 80 curators and directors from as afar field as Kathmandu, Montreal, Mexico City, Havana and Los Angeles!
The group were particularly interested in Tŷ Pawb’s “pioneering” approach to incorporating markets, community and arts into their offer and how all these elements support each other – a ‘circular economy’. E.g. many of materials used in recent exhibitions and arts projects have been purchased directly from Tŷ Pawb’s traders.
Lead member with responsibility for Tŷ Pawb, Cllr Hugh Jones, said: “Tŷ Pawb’s international reputation continues to grow year by year, and we are seeing increased interest from high profile organisations who wish to learn more about this innovative approach to repurposing and re-vitalising a city centre public building.
“Tŷ Pawb’s model is bold and ambitious in many ways – there cannot be many other arts organisations who would fill their galleries with 16 tons of sand to celebrate local Playwork – but what really sparks the interest from the wider world is that we’re now able to back this up with an admirable list of accolades including being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2022, winning the Eisteddfod Gold Medal for Architecture in 2019 – as well as playing a major role in Wrexham achieving a runners-up spot in last year’s UK of City of Culture bid.”
“Congratulations to the team of staff, traders, volunteers and the members of Wrexham’s creative community who continue to work hard every day to bring success to our city’s ‘cultural gem’.”
Check out the Tŷ Pawb website for more news and events.
