New artworks to highlight climate change

Several sculptures will be put in a wildflower meadow near the museum's moat

New public artworks focused on climate change are to be created for a town centre.

About £50,000 will be spent over the next 12 months to create the art in and around the Museum of Somerset on Castle Green in Taunton.

Artist Emma Smith will create works which will reflect “the history and future of climate change in Taunton", said Arts Taunton.

Taunton Town Council’s grants committee voted in early-April to provide £2,500 towards the project’s delivery, following on from a £5,000 donation from the now-defunct Somerset West and Taunton Council.

Artwork will be displayed in and around the Museum of Somerset

Arts Taunton said it was now seeking funding for the "detailed design, fabrication and installation of the artwork", which is expected to be installed by mid-2025.

Arts Taunton said it had been working to bring local artists, businesses, arts organisations and local authorities together to make Taunton “a major regional arts hub and destination town” the Local Democracy and Reporting Service said.

For the latest project, Ms Smith has taken inspiration from the museum's marine collections, the county’s flood defences and Taunton’s revolutionary political past and its garden status.

It will involve "sculptures of future species" being placed in a wildflower meadow near the museum's moat.

“The idea of the wildflower meadow is to place nature at the heart of Taunton," said an Arts Taunton spokesman.

“The meadow will actively contribute to biodiversity in the town centre and support Taunton in promoting what it means to be a climate-aware garden town today."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X . Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 08000 321 333.