The creative director of Wrexham’s new arts hub, which will open its doors next year, has revealed plans for the future development.

The new Ty Pawb development will bring together arts, markets and community work within the former People’s Market building on Market Street.

The end of the project and the opening of the new facility – with a big event held to mark the opening on Dydd Llun Pawb – are getting closer, with construction work expected to be completed by March next year.

There is particular interest around the arts side of the project and what can be expected from the exhibitions and other events to be held at the development in future.

Jo Marsh, arts lead for Wrexham Council and creative director at Oriel Wrecsam, will take on the role of creative director at Ty Pawb when it opens in the spring.

She is also a self-employed artist and arts eductor and her work includes sculpture, film and projects involing members of the public.

Jo said: “I’ve worked as a freelance arts educator for Oriel Wrecsam, Oriel Davies, Appart 113 gallery Bordeaux, the Design Museum – London, Arts Connection Powys, and a variety of schools.

“I grew up in Yorkshire and then did my degree in Chester. I moved to Wrexham in 2011 from Toulouse, France, where I had been making work and teaching. I had planned to be here for just a year, but I quickly became part of a vibrant and welcoming arts and music community. Now more than six years later, Wrexham is 100 per cent my home.

“I have been a studio holder at Undegun since it first opened in 2013, and I was a member of the original Artistic Policy committee. I still have a studio at Undegun, and my current artistic practice very much feeds into my approach to the Creative Direction for Ty Pawb – exploring the idea of overlap between gallery spaces and retail spaces.”

Jo will be working to deliver an artistic programme which will be “beneficial” to Wrexham communities as part of her new role.

She added: “The team at Oriel Wrecsam and I are currently working hard in relation to the capital redevelopment of the People’s Market, as well as putting together an arts programme for the first two years once we’re open.

“This includes significant partnership projects and we’re very excited about the programme, which will be released in the next month.

“A key focus for the arts programme during the first two years will be on the co-existence of arts and markets under one roof. We’re looking at creative ways for the arts programme to support the market, and vice versa.”

The arts programme for Ty Pawb will be planned at least two years in advance and there will be a number of opportunities for artists to get involved with their exhibitions and other events which will be confirmed in the next few months.

For those who wish to get some more information about Ty Pawb, they can attend an Arts Stakeholder Group, organised by Jo and James Harper, curator at Ty Pawb, on November 8 at 6pm.

Some of Jo’s previous work can be found via www.withlovefromthe
artist.com and www.wanderbox.org.