Organizer Information
Eastleigh Borough Council is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England, serving a population of around 142,933 people across the borough, which covers Eastleigh Town Centre, Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury, Fair Oak, Bishopstoke, Hedge End, and the Bursledon, Hamble & Hound area. The Council delivers public art through its Public Art Strategy, which enables it to secure public art contributions from developers; it describes its programme as one of the strongest in Hampshire, appointing artists through open submission, limited competition, or direct invitation. Its current Public Art Strategy (2023–2028) frames public art as central to creating high-quality, sustainable places and to building a renewed sense of pride, ownership, and sense of place across the Borough. The Council's Public Art Officer, Vickie Fear, manages commission delivery on behalf of the Council in partnership with local stakeholder steering groups.
Title & Description
Basque Children's Camp (Suffolk Drive) Public Art Commission
Eastleigh Borough Council is inviting Expressions of Interest from Artists or an Artist Collective to develop and deliver a permanent or temporary Public Art Commission at Suffolk Drive Open Space in Chandler's Ford, marking the history of the Basque Children's Camp. The project responds to a request from the Basque Children of '37 Association UK to mark the 90th anniversary of a temporary camp established at North Stoneham in May 1937, when local volunteers — including the Boys' Brigade, Girl Guides, and Boy Scouts — erected tents to house 3,862 child refugees evacuated from the Basque region during the Spanish Civil War. The children arrived in Southampton aboard the SS Habana and were housed at the camp for up to four months before being relocated across the country. The commission is intended to raise awareness of this otherwise unmarked "hidden history" in the public realm, and the appointed artist may draw on an extensive archive of records, photographs, recipe books, and newsletters made by the children, held at the University of Southampton. The Council welcomes proposals from across the creative disciplines, including interdisciplinary approaches involving collaborators of the artist's choosing.
Theme
Artists should respond to one or both of two themes set by the project's Steering Group: "Welcome" (Chandler's Ford's history of offering refuge and hope to displaced communities) and "Childhood" (making connections between the children who lived at the site in 1937 and children today). Proposals must also account for durability, since the site sits near a play area with a stated high risk of vandalism.
Categories
- Public Art
- All Discipline
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Site-specific
- Research
Eligibility
- Open to Artists or Artist Collectives of any nationality, but the appointed artist must have the legal right to work in the UK
- Must have a demonstrable track record of delivering public art projects
- Must hold, or be able to obtain, valid Public Liability Insurance of not less than £5,000,000
- Must be registered on the DBS Update Service or complete a DBS check through the Council
- Must be able to manage their own National Insurance contributions and income tax, and supply a UTR/NI number or company and VAT number (if applicable); sole traders must complete a Freelance Declaration Form
- Collectives are treated as a single applicant but each member must complete an individual anonymous Monitoring Survey
Program Benefits & Awards
- Initial development budget of £100 offered to each of up to five shortlisted artists to prepare an Initial Proposal
- Total Public Art Commission budget of £9,000, covering all artist and collaborator/subcontractor fees, expenses (including travel to meetings/site visits), and all production costs (materials, fabrication, installation, transport)
- Separate communications/signage budget of £1,000, managed by the Project Manager
- Separate £1,600 contingency budget ring-fenced by the Council and managed by the Project Manager
- A further £1,600 will be transferred to Chandler's Ford Parish Council for future maintenance of the completed artwork (not part of the artist's production budget)
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Email: vickie.fear@eastleigh.gov.uk
Key Dates
- Site Visit (optional): Tuesday, 1 September 2026, at midday
- Online Q&A (optional): Wednesday, 2 September 2026, at midday
- Expression of Interest Deadline: 8 September 2026
- Notification of Shortlist Decision: By 15 September 2026
- Interviews of Shortlisted Artists: Week commencing 21 September 2026
- Decision and Appointment of Successful Artist: 30 September 2026
- Submission of Detailed Project Proposal: By January 2027
- Project Completion: By 21 May 2027
- Anniversary/Launch Event Weekend: 21–23 May 2027
Location
Hampshire, United Kingdom
Additional Details
- Artists interested in attending the site visit or Q&A should attend only one of the two, and RSVP by email in advance
- Shortlisted artists must supply the names, roles, and contact details of two referees
- The Council reserves the right not to appoint any applicant if no submissions are considered suitable, and may approach other artists directly in that case
- Selection is based on five equally weighted criteria: capability to produce high-quality work, evidence of site-responsive projects informed by public/stakeholder engagement, suitability of approach to this commission, originality of ideas, and consideration of environmental impact
- The appointed artist must provide a maintenance schedule and anticipated life expectancy for the artwork, and will discuss decommissioning planning with the Project Manager at the contracting stage
- Artists visiting the site independently are asked to be considerate of local residents' privacy