Harris hoarding installed as renovation work continues

23 January 2023

As the Harris Your Place construction works progress, a new and vibrant design has been fitted across the construction site hoarding surrounding the Harris.

Following an open tender process, Chorley-based company, Poppy Signs were awarded the contract to design and install the hoarding.

The artwork incorporates a mix of project highlights, rendered images of new spaces, quotes from the community and Harris collection items and paintings.

Prestonians will be pleased to see the return of fan favourites: Pauline in the Yellow Dress by Sir James Gunn and Horace the Poulton Elk, which appear digitally on the hoarding.

Councillor Peter Kelly, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure Services at Preston City Council said:

"It's a fantastic achievement to get to this stage of the Harris Your Place capital project. We're thrilled to announce the completion of the construction site hoarding, which offers an updated insight into the exciting reopening plans for 2024 and the significant community empowerment guidelines we base decisions.

Throughout the project, we've listened to feedback from the Preston community where many have suggested the remarkable Harris collection items are greatly missed during closure. The refreshed design presents an opportunity to revisit many of the treasured paintings and objects while we remain on track for achieving the ambition for Harris Your Place."
 

Incorporated into the new layout is the pre-existing mural:"The links of the chain are of equal strength" commissioned by local artist Gavin Renshaw in late 2022 in partnership with The Courtauld.

The mural commemorates the history of textile manufacturing in the Preston area, celebrating the journeys, long and short, that Courtaulds Ltd employees made, drawing attention to the diversity of the workforce that came together and continues to contribute to Preston's rich textiles heritage.

Melissa Smith, Senior Graphic Designer at Poppy Signs added:

"It was a pleasure to design, manufacture and install the hoardings around The Harris; working to produce over 140 meters of digitally printed panels.

It gave us the opportunity to put our latest investment through its paces - the Platinum Q3 Hybrid Flatbed Printer is a game changing press that prints up to 200 sq/m per hour, up to 3.3m width rigid or flexible media, and at the highest achievable quality. This allowed us to quickly meet the required deadlines and illustrate this exciting development.

"It was brilliant to be a part of the capital project and help to offer the public a great insight into how the Harris is being transformed. We look forward to visiting when back open in 2024."

Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21^st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations, increase accessibility and enhance Preston's cultural offer.

The capital project is more than simply preserving the much-loved building; the Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community, a place where people want to spend their time. Working with a range of project partners, the Harris is creating experiences that blend our fine, decorative, contemporary art and history collections with access to historic book collections and lending and reference libraries.

The Harris is currently operating from other local spaces around Preston, with plans for pop-up exhibitions and events in 2023.

More information

About the Harris

Opened in 1893, the Grade I listed building is owned and managed by Preston City Council. Based in Preston, Lancashire, the Harris is one of the leading museums, galleries and libraries in the region. Host to art collections of national significance, exciting activities and events for all ages and an award-winning contemporary art programme, the Harris welcomed over 380,000 visitors in 2018/2019.

We are currently delivering Harris Your Place, a major capital project made possible with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund; Towns Fund; Preston City Council; Lancashire County Council; the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal; DCMS; Arts Council England, public donations and a wide range of Trusts and Foundations.

We will re-open our magnificent Grade I Listed building in 2024 and are already working with Community Partners to deliver a programme of events and activities throughout closure and from day one of re-opening.