The Bench Art Project

Midsomer Norton Cultural Consortium have partnered together with local artists to create an exciting new public art commission for Midsomer Norton Town Centre. Historic benches originally located on the High Street have been restored and transformed into canvases hosting artworks by four different artists.

Together, the four benches explore aspects of our local culture, celebrate the artists’ diverse experiences of place, and ask us to think differently about public spaces. Each of the artists worked with members of the local community to create designs which play with a range of creative methods, including poetry, collage and digital design.

The benches have been resituated in and around Midsomer Norton, bringing a splash of colour to the Town Centre and welcoming people to stop, pause and enjoy the world around them.

The benches were restored by the Midsomer Norton Men’s Shed team. The Men’s Shed is based at Farrington Farm and is a community space for men and women to connect, converse and create. The group meets on Tuesdays and Fridays, 9.30am to 1pm and is open to people of all abilities and skills.

Explore more information about the four artworks and their creators below.

Molly Mural
Sharne Tasney
Samuel Lindup
Jessica Smith