Youth-led artwork for Sandown Station
With funding from South Western Railway CCIF, Artswork, in partnership with Lionheart School, is looking to commission a local professional creative to work in collaboration with students to co-create a work or works for Sandown Station, reflecting on 200 years of rail travel and its impact on the local community and environment.
Working with local communities and a range of partners on the Isle of Wight and across the south-east, our Young Cultural Changemakers programme listens to the views, experiences and ideas of children and young people and supports them to explore creative ways to make change happen in their local areas.
Young people have expressed concerns about antisocial behaviour at Sandown Station and the surrounding area. We have secured funding from South Western Railway to enable students at the Lionheart School to work with a professional creative to make work or works for the station, that will contribute to a larger project aimed making the station a more welcoming space for other young people and the wider community. By increasing young people’s sense of ownership of, and pride in, the public realm, we hope to have a positive impact on antisocial behaviour/vandalism etc.
The final outcome is not determined – and may only be determined once the artist starts working with the students – but we would be particularly interested to receive proposals that allow for exploration of materials associated with railway stations, such as tiles, enamel, iron and steel and concrete and/or allow for collaboration with industry. Other approaches and outcomes are also welcome, but we will not be commissioning a mural for this project.
Up to £5000 is available for this work, to include the artist’s time, materials, installation costs, travel, expenses and VAT. The artist should determine how the budget is allocated to deliver the proposed project in their submitted proposal.
Deadline: 10:00 Tuesday 2 September 2025
Submit a Proposal
Please send a short (2p A4 maximum) expression of interest responding to the artist specification and a CV which can include up to 5 images or a website link.
Applications must be received by email to petarainford@artswork.org.uk by 10:00 Tuesday 2 September 2025.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their ideas to the students on Friday 19 September at Lionheart School.
Full details can be found in the document above.
Project Partners
Find out more about the work we have been doing on the Isle of Wight: