MARKET noun 1. 1.  a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.

Tŷ Pawb developed as a seemingly unlikely marriage: Oriel Wrecsam (formerly Wrexham Arts Centre) was seeking a new, larger home to expand into; and around the same time the People’s Market (a 1990s built market hall and multistorey car park) had been deemed unviable by a review of the town’s markets, commissioned by Wrexham Council. The review recommended that the People’s Market be considered for alternative uses.

The timing was right, the stars aligned, and plans were made to develop a hybrid cultural space in the former People’s Market building, introducing galleries, performance space, flexible community space, studios and offices alongside a new food court and renovated market hall. Wrexham Council commissioned Featherstone Young Architects (FYA) to design the project, with support from Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, and Tŷ Pawb opened to the public on 2nd April 2018.

Key to the project was the idea that cross pollination in terms of footfall would benefit both arts and market trade endeavors alike, and FYA introduced areas of ‘baggy space’ to be used for a variety of purposes. Within this spirit during an opening day speech, I said that “Tŷ Pawb will be about bringing the gallery spaces and the market hall together, not as unrelated, incidental neighbours, but as part of one broad cultural offer, celebrating the significance of markets as part of Wrexham’s cultural heritage and identity”.

There have been and continue to be huge successes since Tŷ Pawb opened: pre pandemic visitor numbers exceeding all predictions, Tŷ  Pawb as lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis / Wales in Venice 2019; national press features; a thriving programme of family activities year-round; becoming well established as a venue for local and international live music; multiple architecture awards; a diverse exhibition programme engaging with both local and global concerns; a busy market hall and food court, and so on.

Alongside these successes however, we have learnt that symbiosis between the different spaces and functions at Tŷ Pawb does not come quickly or easily. A little more than three years since opening, my opinion now is that cross pollination via proximity only takes us so far; and that in order to reach for Ty Pawb’s potential as a civically focused cultural space, there is more that we can do to erode the implicit divide between ‘art’ and ‘everything else’.

THIS IS WHERE THE NOTION OF 'TAKE IT TO MARKET' COMES INTO PLAY

Through this lens we are exploring the inherent artfulness of the market hall, and asking ourselves: what is the significance of local market trade? What can that bring in terms of artistic programming? How can that feed into a constituent led / Arte Útil approach, particularly in the context of COVID-19 impacts, and the environmental crisis? 

Part of this exploration takes the form of dialogue with Tŷ Pawb’s current market traders, and what we are uncovering is entrepreneurial spirit, an ad Hoc approach, resilience, innovation, agility, immediacy, strong local connection, nimbleness, and endless creativity. Our traders embody artfulness and creativity in numerous ways: not only through the making/production of items for sale, but also in terms of innovating to create new ways of living and working.  

For some, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the decision to literally take an idea to market, represents stepping away from a corporate career. Our conversations are revealing that, whilst this means stepping away from a level of security and stability, it also means stepping away from many stresses and frustrations, and into a new terrain of freedom, autonomy, fulfillment and possibility.  

One example is Steve Tapp, who has been trading at Tŷ Pawb as Wrexham Trainer Revival since October 2020. Steve was made redundant as a result of the pandemic, and finding himself facing an unforeseen new start, decided to trial his passion for refurbishing trainers as a small business at Tŷ Pawb. Starting off in a half unit only a few m2, Steve has since expanded into a double unit to keep up with the level of demand for his custom and refurbished trainers, and to bring in more tools and equipment of his trade. There is a strong environmental emphasis to Steve’s business – his facebook strapline is: “Wrexham Trainer Revival is an independent business refurbishing tired old trainers. Don’t throw them away, bring them in and let’s see if we can bring them back to life...”  I interviewed Steve to learn more about his craft practice, his business approach and new way of life as a market trader.

Building on this reinvigorated dialogue with Tŷ Pawb market traders, we are redoubling our efforts to work collaboratively across the arts and markets functions. This includes exploring a broad context for the application of artfulness, a broad context for what constitutes creative practice, and exploring commonalities between what is happening in the market hall and the work artists are doing at Tŷ Pawb. One example of this is a recent collaborative project with market trader Rutcher Gomes and artist Anya Paintsil. Rutcher is a self-taught afro hair stylist, specialising in dreadlocks; Anya works primarily with textiles, incorporating rug-hooking and embroidery, frequently including weaves and hair pieces, sometimes her own hair. Both grew up in Wrexham and have developed craft practices and careers informed partly by experiences that resulted from having afro textured hair; including the absence of a local or regional hairdresser able to cut or style their hair.

Whilst the Paintsil/Gomes project will manifest as a film, we are also beginning to collaborate in a much more routine and deliberate way within the Tŷ Pawb building; key to this is repurposing some of the physical spaces. Our former gallery shop ‘Siop//Shop’ has recently been repurposed as ‘Maker Space’ - an accessible residency/ trading space for a range of makers to inhabit throughout the year. This space allows makers to join the community of traders at Tŷ Pawb, developing their practice in the market hall and literally taking it to market. The first resident maker is local artist Georgia Nielson who specialises in textile-based art, with an emphasis on rug making and applique banners. Currently in the final year of a Fine Art degree at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Georgia Nielson says “I want to use this time to really set myself up for post-graduate life and hopefully build a career doing what I really love”. Whilst in the Maker Space, Georgia is buying most of her materials from fellow stall holder RKM Wools, has secured a number of rug commissions, and has developed an affordable range of ‘off the shelf’ rug-artworks.

In another significant repurposing of space, one of Tŷ Pawb’s two galleries is about to become Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol, or the Useful Art Space. Featuring the Arte Útil archive in several languages, this will be a shared community space for learning, making, playing, discussion and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from the Archive, Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol will be a space where we explore and develop things (including objects, interventions, ideas...) as part of reimagining our individual and collective futures, before taking them to market. 

In one sense this is the literal act of moving a few metres into the market hall and presenting things for perusal and for sale; in a broader sense, the notion of Take It To Market here is about an embodiment of Arte Útil principles - moving beyond ideas to action. In Tania Bruguera’s words “Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation.”...In the Tŷ Pawb context, Take It To Market is also symbolic of real world implementations. Our hope is that alongside artists, staff and other constituents, Ty Pawb traders will form a key part of the Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol / Useful Art programme.  We are keen to include the food court traders at Ty Pawb in the Useful Art programme, embracing food preparation and sharing as a cultural practice.  This could be through delivery of demonstrations, talks and workshops, participation in discussion groups, working directly with artists and constituent groups, through hosting events, and much more.

MARKET noun 1. 1.  a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.

Tŷ Pawb developed as a seemingly unlikely marriage: Oriel Wrecsam (formerly Wrexham Arts Centre) was seeking a new, larger home to expand into; and around the same time the People’s Market (a 1990s built market hall and multistorey car park) had been deemed unviable by a review of the town’s markets, commissioned by Wrexham Council. The review recommended that the People’s Market be considered for alternative uses.

The timing was right, the stars aligned, and plans were made to develop a hybrid cultural space in the former People’s Market building, introducing galleries, performance space, flexible community space, studios and offices alongside a new food court and renovated market hall. Wrexham Council commissioned Featherstone Young Architects (FYA) to design the project, with support from Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, and Tŷ Pawb opened to the public on 2nd April 2018.

There have been and continue to be huge successes since Tŷ Pawb opened: pre pandemic visitor numbers exceeding all predictions, Tŷ  Pawb as lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis / Wales in Venice 2019; national press features; a thriving programme of family activities year-round; becoming well established as a venue for local and international live music; multiple architecture awards; a diverse exhibition programme engaging with both local and global concerns; a busy market hall and food court, and so on.

Alongside these successes however, we have learnt that symbiosis between the different spaces and functions at Tŷ Pawb does not come quickly or easily. A little more than three years since opening, my opinion now is that cross pollination via proximity only takes us so far; and that in order to reach for Ty Pawb’s potential as a civically focused cultural space, there is more that we can do to erode the implicit divide between ‘art’ and ‘everything else’.

THIS IS WHERE THE NOTION OF 'TAKE IT TO MARKET' COMES INTO PLAY

Through this lens we are exploring the inherent artfulness of the market hall, and asking ourselves: what is the significance of local market trade? What can that bring in terms of artistic programming? How can that feed into a constituent led / Arte Útil approach, particularly in the context of COVID-19 impacts, and the environmental crisis? 

Part of this exploration takes the form of dialogue with Tŷ Pawb’s current market traders, and what we are uncovering is entrepreneurial spirit, an ad Hoc approach, resilience, innovation, agility, immediacy, strong local connection, nimbleness, and endless creativity. Our traders embody artfulness and creativity in numerous ways: not only through the making/production of items for sale, but also in terms of innovating to create new ways of living and working. 

For some, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the decision to literally take an idea to market, represents stepping away from a corporate career. Our conversations are revealing that, whilst this means stepping away from a level of security and stability, it also means stepping away from many stresses and frustrations, and into a new terrain of freedom, autonomy, fulfillment and possibility.

One example is Steve Tapp, who has been trading at Tŷ Pawb as Wrexham Trainer Revival since October 2020. Steve was made redundant as a result of the pandemic, and finding himself facing an unforeseen new start, decided to trial his passion for refurbishing trainers as a small business at Tŷ Pawb. Starting off in a half unit only a few m2, Steve has since expanded into a double unit to keep up with the level of demand for his custom and refurbished trainers, and to bring in more tools and equipment of his trade. There is a strong environmental emphasis to Steve’s business – his facebook strapline is: “Wrexham Trainer Revival is an independent business refurbishing tired old trainers. Don’t throw them away, bring them in and let’s see if we can bring them back to life...”  I interviewed Steve to learn more about his craft practice, his business approach and new way of life as a market trader.  

Building on this reinvigorated dialogue with Tŷ Pawb market traders, we are redoubling our efforts to work collaboratively across the arts and markets functions. This includes exploring a broad context for the application of artfulness, a broad context for what constitutes creative practice, and exploring commonalities between what is happening in the market hall and the work artists are doing at Tŷ Pawb. One example of this is a recent collaborative project with market trader Rutcher Gomes and artist Anya Paintsil. Rutcher is a self-taught afro hair stylist, specialising in dreadlocks; Anya works primarily with textiles, incorporating rug-hooking and embroidery, frequently including weaves and hair pieces, sometimes her own hair. Both grew up in Wrexham and have developed craft practices and careers informed partly by experiences that resulted from having afro textured hair; including the absence of a local or regional hairdresser able to cut or style their hair.

Whilst the Paintsil/Gomes project will manifest as a film, we are also beginning to collaborate in a much more routine and deliberate way within the Tŷ Pawb building; key to this is repurposing some of the physical spaces. Our former gallery shop ‘Siop//Shop’ has recently been repurposed as ‘Maker Space’ - an accessible residency/ trading space for a range of makers to inhabit throughout the year. This space allows makers to join the community of traders at Tŷ Pawb, developing their practice in the market hall and literally taking it to market. The first resident maker is local artist Georgia Nielson who specialises in textile-based art, with an emphasis on rug making and applique banners. Currently in the final year of a Fine Art degree at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Georgia Nielson says “I want to use this time to really set myself up for post-graduate life and hopefully build a career doing what I really love”. Whilst in the Maker Space, Georgia is buying most of her materials from fellow stall holder RKM Wools, has secured a number of rug commissions, and has developed an affordable range of ‘off the shelf’ rug-artworks.

In another significant repurposing of space, one of Tŷ Pawb’s two galleries is about to become Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol, or the Useful Art Space. Featuring the Arte Útil archive in several languages, this will be a shared community space for learning, making, playing, discussion and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from the Archive, Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol will be a space where we explore and develop things (including objects, interventions, ideas...) as part of reimagining our individual and collective futures, before taking them to market. 

In one sense this is the literal act of moving a few metres into the market hall and presenting things for perusal and for sale; in a broader sense, the notion of Take It To Market here is about an embodiment of Arte Útil principles - moving beyond ideas to action. In Tania Bruguera’s words “Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation.”...In the Tŷ Pawb context, Take It To Market is also symbolic of real world implementations. Our hope is that alongside artists, staff and other constituents, Ty Pawb traders will form a key part of the Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol / Useful Art programme.  We are keen to include the food court traders at Ty Pawb in the Useful Art programme, embracing food preparation and sharing as a cultural practice.  This could be through delivery of demonstrations, talks and workshops, participation in discussion groups, working directly with artists and constituent groups, through hosting events, and much more.

MARKET noun 1. 1.  a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.

Tŷ Pawb developed as a seemingly unlikely marriage: Oriel Wrecsam (formerly Wrexham Arts Centre) was seeking a new, larger home to expand into; and around the same time the People’s Market (a 1990s built market hall and multistorey car park) had been deemed unviable by a review of the town’s markets, commissioned by Wrexham Council. The review recommended that the People’s Market be considered for alternative uses.

The timing was right, the stars aligned, and plans were made to develop a hybrid cultural space in the former People’s Market building, introducing galleries, performance space, flexible community space, studios and offices alongside a new food court and renovated market hall. Wrexham Council commissioned Featherstone Young Architects (FYA) to design the project, with support from Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, and Tŷ Pawb opened to the public on 2nd April 2018.

Key to the project was the idea that cross pollination in terms of footfall would benefit both arts and market trade endeavors alike, and FYA introduced areas of ‘baggy space’ to be used for a variety of purposes. Within this spirit during an opening day speech, I said that “Tŷ Pawb will be about bringing the gallery spaces and the market hall together, not as unrelated, incidental neighbours, but as part of one broad cultural offer, celebrating the significance of markets as part of Wrexham’s cultural heritage and identity”.

There have been and continue to be huge successes since Tŷ Pawb opened: pre pandemic visitor numbers exceeding all predictions, Tŷ  Pawb as lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis / Wales in Venice 2019; national press features; a thriving programme of family activities year-round; becoming well established as a venue for local and international live music; multiple architecture awards; a diverse exhibition programme engaging with both local and global concerns; a busy market hall and food court, and so on.

Alongside these successes however, we have learnt that symbiosis between the different spaces and functions at Tŷ Pawb does not come quickly or easily. A little more than three years since opening, my opinion now is that cross pollination via proximity only takes us so far; and that in order to reach for Ty Pawb’s potential as a civically focused cultural space, there is more that we can do to erode the implicit divide between ‘art’ and ‘everything else’.

THIS IS WHERE THE NOTION OF 'TAKE IT TO MARKET' COMES INTO PLAY

Through this lens we are exploring the inherent artfulness of the market hall, and asking ourselves: what is the significance of local market trade? What can that bring in terms of artistic programming? How can that feed into a constituent led / Arte Útil approach, particularly in the context of COVID-19 impacts, and the environmental crisis? 

Part of this exploration takes the form of dialogue with Tŷ Pawb’s current market traders, and what we are uncovering is entrepreneurial spirit, an ad Hoc approach, resilience, innovation, agility, immediacy, strong local connection, nimbleness, and endless creativity. Our traders embody artfulness and creativity in numerous ways: not only through the making/production of items for sale, but also in terms of innovating to create new ways of living and working.  

For some, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the decision to literally take an idea to market, represents stepping away from a corporate career. Our conversations are revealing that, whilst this means stepping away from a level of security and stability, it also means stepping away from many stresses and frustrations, and into a new terrain of freedom, autonomy, fulfillment and possibility.  

One example is Steve Tapp, who has been trading at Tŷ Pawb as Wrexham Trainer Revival since October 2020. Steve was made redundant as a result of the pandemic, and finding himself facing an unforeseen new start, decided to trial his passion for refurbishing trainers as a small business at Tŷ Pawb. Starting off in a half unit only a few m2, Steve has since expanded into a double unit to keep up with the level of demand for his custom and refurbished trainers, and to bring in more tools and equipment of his trade. There is a strong environmental emphasis to Steve’s business – his facebook strapline is: “Wrexham Trainer Revival is an independent business refurbishing tired old trainers. Don’t throw them away, bring them in and let’s see if we can bring them back to life...”  I interviewed Steve to learn more about his craft practice, his business approach and new way of life as a market trader.

Building on this reinvigorated dialogue with Tŷ Pawb market traders, we are redoubling our efforts to work collaboratively across the arts and markets functions. This includes exploring a broad context for the application of artfulness, a broad context for what constitutes creative practice, and exploring commonalities between what is happening in the market hall and the work artists are doing at Tŷ Pawb. One example of this is a recent collaborative project with market trader Rutcher Gomes and artist Anya Paintsil. Rutcher is a self-taught afro hair stylist, specialising in dreadlocks; Anya works primarily with textiles, incorporating rug-hooking and embroidery, frequently including weaves and hair pieces, sometimes her own hair. Both grew up in Wrexham and have developed craft practices and careers informed partly by experiences that resulted from having afro textured hair; including the absence of a local or regional hairdresser able to cut or style their hair.

Whilst the Paintsil/Gomes project will manifest as a film, we are also beginning to collaborate in a much more routine and deliberate way within the Tŷ Pawb building; key to this is repurposing some of the physical spaces. Our former gallery shop ‘Siop//Shop’ has recently been repurposed as ‘Maker Space’ - an accessible residency/ trading space for a range of makers to inhabit throughout the year. This space allows makers to join the community of traders at Tŷ Pawb, developing their practice in the market hall and literally taking it to market. The first resident maker is local artist Georgia Nielson who specialises in textile-based art, with an emphasis on rug making and applique banners. Currently in the final year of a Fine Art degree at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Georgia Nielson says “I want to use this time to really set myself up for post-graduate life and hopefully build a career doing what I really love”. Whilst in the Maker Space, Georgia is buying most of her materials from fellow stall holder RKM Wools, has secured a number of rug commissions, and has developed an affordable range of ‘off the shelf’ rug-artworks.

In another significant repurposing of space, one of Tŷ Pawb’s two galleries is about to become Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol, or the Useful Art Space. Featuring the Arte Útil archive in several languages, this will be a shared community space for learning, making, playing, discussion and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from the Archive, Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol will be a space where we explore and develop things (including objects, interventions, ideas...) as part of reimagining our individual and collective futures, before taking them to market. 

In one sense this is the literal act of moving a few metres into the market hall and presenting things for perusal and for sale; in a broader sense, the notion of Take It To Market here is about an embodiment of Arte Útil principles - moving beyond ideas to action. In Tania Bruguera’s words “Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation.”...In the Tŷ Pawb context, Take It To Market is also symbolic of real world implementations. Our hope is that alongside artists, staff and other constituents, Ty Pawb traders will form a key part of the Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol / Useful Art programme.  We are keen to include the food court traders at Ty Pawb in the Useful Art programme, embracing food preparation and sharing as a cultural practice.  This could be through delivery of demonstrations, talks and workshops, participation in discussion groups, working directly with artists and constituent groups, through hosting events, and much more.

MARKET noun 1. 1.  a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.

Tŷ Pawb developed as a seemingly unlikely marriage: Oriel Wrecsam (formerly Wrexham Arts Centre) was seeking a new, larger home to expand into; and around the same time the People’s Market (a 1990s built market hall and multistorey car park) had been deemed unviable by a review of the town’s markets, commissioned by Wrexham Council. The review recommended that the People’s Market be considered for alternative uses.

The timing was right, the stars aligned, and plans were made to develop a hybrid cultural space in the former People’s Market building, introducing galleries, performance space, flexible community space, studios and offices alongside a new food court and renovated market hall. Wrexham Council commissioned Featherstone Young Architects (FYA) to design the project, with support from Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, and Tŷ Pawb opened to the public on 2nd April 2018.

Key to the project was the idea that cross pollination in terms of footfall would benefit both arts and market trade endeavors alike, and FYA introduced areas of ‘baggy space’ to be used for a variety of purposes. Within this spirit during an opening day speech, I said that “Tŷ Pawb will be about bringing the gallery spaces and the market hall together, not as unrelated, incidental neighbours, but as part of one broad cultural offer, celebrating the significance of markets as part of Wrexham’s cultural heritage and identity”.

There have been and continue to be huge successes since Tŷ Pawb opened: pre pandemic visitor numbers exceeding all predictions, Tŷ  Pawb as lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis / Wales in Venice 2019; national press features; a thriving programme of family activities year-round; becoming well established as a venue for local and international live music; multiple architecture awards; a diverse exhibition programme engaging with both local and global concerns; a busy market hall and food court, and so on.

Alongside these successes however, we have learnt that symbiosis between the different spaces and functions at Tŷ Pawb does not come quickly or easily. A little more than three years since opening, my opinion now is that cross pollination via proximity only takes us so far; and that in order to reach for Ty Pawb’s potential as a civically focused cultural space, there is more that we can do to erode the implicit divide between ‘art’ and ‘everything else’.

THIS IS WHERE THE NOTION OF 'TAKE IT TO MARKET' COMES INTO PLAY

Through this lens we are exploring the inherent artfulness of the market hall, and asking ourselves: what is the significance of local market trade? What can that bring in terms of artistic programming? How can that feed into a constituent led / Arte Útil approach, particularly in the context of COVID-19 impacts, and the environmental crisis? 

Part of this exploration takes the form of dialogue with Tŷ Pawb’s current market traders, and what we are uncovering is entrepreneurial spirit, an ad Hoc approach, resilience, innovation, agility, immediacy, strong local connection, nimbleness, and endless creativity. Our traders embody artfulness and creativity in numerous ways: not only through the making/production of items for sale, but also in terms of innovating to create new ways of living and working.  

For some, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the decision to literally take an idea to market, represents stepping away from a corporate career. Our conversations are revealing that, whilst this means stepping away from a level of security and stability, it also means stepping away from many stresses and frustrations, and into a new terrain of freedom, autonomy, fulfillment and possibility.  

One example is Steve Tapp, who has been trading at Tŷ Pawb as Wrexham Trainer Revival since October 2020. Steve was made redundant as a result of the pandemic, and finding himself facing an unforeseen new start, decided to trial his passion for refurbishing trainers as a small business at Tŷ Pawb. Starting off in a half unit only a few m2, Steve has since expanded into a double unit to keep up with the level of demand for his custom and refurbished trainers, and to bring in more tools and equipment of his trade. There is a strong environmental emphasis to Steve’s business – his facebook strapline is: “Wrexham Trainer Revival is an independent business refurbishing tired old trainers. Don’t throw them away, bring them in and let’s see if we can bring them back to life...”  I interviewed Steve to learn more about his craft practice, his business approach and new way of life as a market trader.

Building on this reinvigorated dialogue with Tŷ Pawb market traders, we are redoubling our efforts to work collaboratively across the arts and markets functions. This includes exploring a broad context for the application of artfulness, a broad context for what constitutes creative practice, and exploring commonalities between what is happening in the market hall and the work artists are doing at Tŷ Pawb. One example of this is a recent collaborative project with market trader Rutcher Gomes and artist Anya Paintsil. Rutcher is a self-taught afro hair stylist, specialising in dreadlocks; Anya works primarily with textiles, incorporating rug-hooking and embroidery, frequently including weaves and hair pieces, sometimes her own hair. Both grew up in Wrexham and have developed craft practices and careers informed partly by experiences that resulted from having afro textured hair; including the absence of a local or regional hairdresser able to cut or style their hair.

Whilst the Paintsil/Gomes project will manifest as a film, we are also beginning to collaborate in a much more routine and deliberate way within the Tŷ Pawb building; key to this is repurposing some of the physical spaces. Our former gallery shop ‘Siop//Shop’ has recently been repurposed as ‘Maker Space’ - an accessible residency/ trading space for a range of makers to inhabit throughout the year. This space allows makers to join the community of traders at Tŷ Pawb, developing their practice in the market hall and literally taking it to market. The first resident maker is local artist Georgia Nielson who specialises in textile-based art, with an emphasis on rug making and applique banners. Currently in the final year of a Fine Art degree at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Georgia Nielson says “I want to use this time to really set myself up for post-graduate life and hopefully build a career doing what I really love”. Whilst in the Maker Space, Georgia is buying most of her materials from fellow stall holder RKM Wools, has secured a number of rug commissions, and has developed an affordable range of ‘off the shelf’ rug-artworks.

In another significant repurposing of space, one of Tŷ Pawb’s two galleries is about to become Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol, or the Useful Art Space. Featuring the Arte Útil archive in several languages, this will be a shared community space for learning, making, playing, discussion and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from the Archive, Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol will be a space where we explore and develop things (including objects, interventions, ideas...) as part of reimagining our individual and collective futures, before taking them to market. 

In one sense this is the literal act of moving a few metres into the market hall and presenting things for perusal and for sale; in a broader sense, the notion of Take It To Market here is about an embodiment of Arte Útil principles - moving beyond ideas to action. In Tania Bruguera’s words “Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation.”...In the Tŷ Pawb context, Take It To Market is also symbolic of real world implementations. Our hope is that alongside artists, staff and other constituents, Ty Pawb traders will form a key part of the Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol / Useful Art programme.  We are keen to include the food court traders at Ty Pawb in the Useful Art programme, embracing food preparation and sharing as a cultural practice.  This could be through delivery of demonstrations, talks and workshops, participation in discussion groups, working directly with artists and constituent groups, through hosting events, and much more.

MARKET noun 1. 1.  a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.



Tŷ Pawb developed as a seemingly unlikely marriage: Oriel Wrecsam (formerly Wrexham Arts Centre) was seeking a new, larger home to expand into; and around the same time the People’s Market (a 1990s built market hall and multistorey car park) had been deemed unviable by a review of the town’s markets, commissioned by Wrexham Council. The review recommended that the People’s Market be considered for alternative uses.

The timing was right, the stars aligned, and plans were made to develop a hybrid cultural space in the former People’s Market building, introducing galleries, performance space, flexible community space, studios and offices alongside a new food court and renovated market hall. Wrexham Council commissioned Featherstone Young Architects (FYA) to design the project, with support from Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, and Tŷ Pawb opened to the public on 2nd April 2018.

Key to the project was the idea that cross pollination in terms of footfall would benefit both arts and market trade endeavors alike, and FYA introduced areas of ‘baggy space’ to be used for a variety of purposes. Within this spirit during an opening day speech, I said that “Tŷ Pawb will be about bringing the gallery spaces and the market hall together, not as unrelated, incidental neighbours, but as part of one broad cultural offer, celebrating the significance of markets as part of Wrexham’s cultural heritage and identity”.

There have been and continue to be huge successes since Tŷ Pawb opened: pre pandemic visitor numbers exceeding all predictions, Tŷ  Pawb as lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis / Wales in Venice 2019; national press features; a thriving programme of family activities year-round; becoming well established as a venue for local and international live music; multiple architecture awards; a diverse exhibition programme engaging with both local and global concerns; a busy market hall and food court, and so on.

Alongside these successes however, we have learnt that symbiosis between the different spaces and functions at Tŷ Pawb does not come quickly or easily. A little more than three years since opening, my opinion now is that cross pollination via proximity only takes us so far; and that in order to reach for Ty Pawb’s potential as a civically focused cultural space, there is more that we can do to erode the implicit divide between ‘art’ and ‘everything else’.

THIS IS WHERE THE NOTION OF 'TAKE IT TO MARKET' COMES INTO PLAY

Through this lens we are exploring the inherent artfulness of the market hall, and asking ourselves: what is the significance of local market trade? What can that bring in terms of artistic programming? How can that feed into a constituent led / Arte Útil approach, particularly in the context of COVID-19 impacts, and the environmental crisis? 

Part of this exploration takes the form of dialogue with Tŷ Pawb’s current market traders, and what we are uncovering is entrepreneurial spirit, an ad Hoc approach, resilience, innovation, agility, immediacy, strong local connection, nimbleness, and endless creativity. Our traders embody artfulness and creativity in numerous ways: not only through the making/production of items for sale, but also in terms of innovating to create new ways of living and working.  

For some, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the decision to literally take an idea to market, represents stepping away from a corporate career. Our conversations are revealing that, whilst this means stepping away from a level of security and stability, it also means stepping away from many stresses and frustrations, and into a new terrain of freedom, autonomy, fulfillment and possibility.  

One example is Steve Tapp, who has been trading at Tŷ Pawb as Wrexham Trainer Revival since October 2020. Steve was made redundant as a result of the pandemic, and finding himself facing an unforeseen new start, decided to trial his passion for refurbishing trainers as a small business at Tŷ Pawb. Starting off in a half unit only a few m2, Steve has since expanded into a double unit to keep up with the level of demand for his custom and refurbished trainers, and to bring in more tools and equipment of his trade. There is a strong environmental emphasis to Steve’s business – his facebook strapline is: “Wrexham Trainer Revival is an independent business refurbishing tired old trainers. Don’t throw them away, bring them in and let’s see if we can bring them back to life...”  I interviewed Steve to learn more about his craft practice, his business approach and new way of life as a market trader.

Building on this reinvigorated dialogue with Tŷ Pawb market traders, we are redoubling our efforts to work collaboratively across the arts and markets functions. This includes exploring a broad context for the application of artfulness, a broad context for what constitutes creative practice, and exploring commonalities between what is happening in the market hall and the work artists are doing at Tŷ Pawb. One example of this is a recent collaborative project with market trader Rutcher Gomes and artist Anya Paintsil. Rutcher is a self-taught afro hair stylist, specialising in dreadlocks; Anya works primarily with textiles, incorporating rug-hooking and embroidery, frequently including weaves and hair pieces, sometimes her own hair. Both grew up in Wrexham and have developed craft practices and careers informed partly by experiences that resulted from having afro textured hair; including the absence of a local or regional hairdresser able to cut or style their hair.

Whilst the Paintsil/Gomes project will manifest as a film, we are also beginning to collaborate in a much more routine and deliberate way within the Tŷ Pawb building; key to this is repurposing some of the physical spaces. Our former gallery shop ‘Siop//Shop’ has recently been repurposed as ‘Maker Space’ - an accessible residency/ trading space for a range of makers to inhabit throughout the year. This space allows makers to join the community of traders at Tŷ Pawb, developing their practice in the market hall and literally taking it to market. The first resident maker is local artist Georgia Nielson who specialises in textile-based art, with an emphasis on rug making and applique banners. Currently in the final year of a Fine Art degree at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Georgia Nielson says “I want to use this time to really set myself up for post-graduate life and hopefully build a career doing what I really love”. Whilst in the Maker Space, Georgia is buying most of her materials from fellow stall holder RKM Wools, has secured a number of rug commissions, and has developed an affordable range of ‘off the shelf’ rug-artworks.

In another significant repurposing of space, one of Tŷ Pawb’s two galleries is about to become Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol, or the Useful Art Space. Featuring the Arte Útil archive in several languages, this will be a shared community space for learning, making, playing, discussion and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from the Archive, Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol will be a space where we explore and develop things (including objects, interventions, ideas...) as part of reimagining our individual and collective futures, before taking them to market. 

In one sense this is the literal act of moving a few metres into the market hall and presenting things for perusal and for sale; in a broader sense, the notion of Take It To Market here is about an embodiment of Arte Útil principles - moving beyond ideas to action. In Tania Bruguera’s words “Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation.”...In the Tŷ Pawb context, Take It To Market is also symbolic of real world implementations. Our hope is that alongside artists, staff and other constituents, Ty Pawb traders will form a key part of the Lle Celf Ddefnyddiol / Useful Art programme.  We are keen to include the food court traders at Ty Pawb in the Useful Art programme, embracing food preparation and sharing as a cultural practice.  This could be through delivery of demonstrations, talks and workshops, participation in discussion groups, working directly with artists and constituent groups, through hosting events, and much more.



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