Joe Orton Statue commission

The Joe Orton Statue Appeal CIC (Community Interest Company) invites an artist to develop a permanent work of three-dimensional public art to memorialise Joe Orton. The statue will be sited in Orton Square, outside Leicester’s Curve theatre, in one of four possible locations (see Appendix 1). This artwork has been crowdfunded: https://www.spacehive.com/joe-orton-statue-appeal

Donors include Sir Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry, Sir Matthew Bourne, Pet Shop Boys, Alison Steadman, Kenneth Cranham, Sheila Hancock, Adam Kay, Patrick Gayle, Jake Arnott, Graham Fellows and The Connor Brothers.

The Vision
To make the ‘Joe Orton Statue’ a destination artwork and one which enhances the local resident and visitor experience of Orton Square, Leicester. We envisage that the artwork will be thought provoking, outward looking and make a major contribution to the community, enhancing the lives of passers-by.

Purpose

• To memorialise Orton as a significant contributor to Leicester’s social history
• To raise awareness of Orton and celebrate his life, work and legacy
• To enhance the city’s reputation for diversity and inclusivity by conveying Orton’s sexuality and social class
• To reinforce that Leicester is home to all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds, and all are welcome in the city

The artist will be appointed through a competitive longlisting / shortlisting process followed by a competitive interview process.

Download the brief here.