A golden lion sculpture, featuring Northampton landmarks, will take pride of place in the town centre this summer.

From the end of June to the beginning of September, the ‘Pride of Northampton’ public arts event will bring an explosion of colour and excitement to Northampton’s streets and open spaces.

The event will see a diverse range of colourfully decorated lion sculptures exhibited at various locations around the town for a 10-week period. Northampton Borough Council is working with Wild in Art to bring the 5ft high lion sculptures to the town.

The golden lion has been sponsored by the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation and is being painted by award winning Northampton artist Claire Jarvis, who studied at the Royal College of Art in London. The lion has been painted gold as it will be located in All Saints Square near Gold Street, where work to create safer, more pedestrian friendly streets was funded by WNDC.

Claire Jarvis explained:

“The design was inspired by the development and growth of Northampton town. Depicting an intricate panoramic scene frozen in time, the lion draws upon historic landmarks situated throughout the town to celebrate its past, present and promise of the future.

“The use of the colour gold, signifying something precious and sacred, seemed to be an obvious direction for the project.

“Producing work on a three-dimensional and curved surface proved to be an interesting challenge compared to the traditional medium of painting on canvas but the work has been really well received and will sit proud within the town throughout the summer.”

WNDC chief executive Peter Mawson said:

“The lion looks magnificent and is designed to be ‘Northampton’s lion’, featuring famous town landmarks, such as the Guildhall. Claire’s eye-catching work perfectly captures the history and architecture of the town in a vivid and colourful way.”

Councillor Paul Varnsverry, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for community engagement, said:

“We have some beautiful buildings in Northampton and the golden lion is a truly amazing canvass to show them. I think the artist has done a wonderful job and will make a fantastic first impression on visitors coming into the town centre from Gold Street.”

At the end of the exhibition, the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise money for the Born Free Foundation and Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

To find out more about the Pride of Northampton visit www.prideofnorthampton.com or join the Pride on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pride-of-Northampton/408240734427

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