by Andrew Mercer

Created on: October 17, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2008

The artists role is to affect transformation both socially and psychologically

I believe artists should be employed far more widely than they currently are in many areas of society, and that incorporating art into every level of society has many benefits. Too often art is either forgotten or an afterthought. In my opinion art should an integral part of our social fabric and whenever a new development is proposed art and artist's should be involved. I know many enlightened urban authorities and property developers already recognise and act on these principles but I feel there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

I know many of the ideas in this are not new but I feel it is worthwhile restating them and artists collaborating in producing and supporting some basics idea that purchasing bodies authorities, investment fund managers and entrepreneurs can consider.

I believe art almost uniquely can transform and add value to the most unpromising locations at a relatively low cost. In this context an artist is anyone who has the vision to see hidden potential and can achieve this almost magical transformation of a specific location. If you look at the examples of Barcelona, Paris or Florence, these are cities whose fortunes have been enhanced by the works of individual artists. These artists works have become a major draw to each of these cities. I recently visited Barcelona, the city is buzzing with creativity and excitement and visitors are pouring in from all around the world, to see the works of Gaudi, Miro and Picasso. In Barcelona artists and designers are at the core of an urban renaissance. The city is almost synonymous with these artists.

But we also have examples in Britain of art's transformative power, Antony Gormleys, Angel of the North, has become an important landmark for the north east of England and features in almost every article on the area. Has the region benefited from its association with Gormleys
sculpture ? The answer must surely be " yes", public perceptions of the north east have altered dramatically these days, when 15 yrs ago it was perceived as an area of industrial and social decline. It is now widely accepted that art is an important ingredient in urban regeneration. But enlightened authorities are still the exception, many of our provincial towns and cities in the UK have not seen the urban renaissance of the last 10-15 yrs and can still very often be soulless artless inhuman ugly places. All too often our modern provincial town centres

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