FAQs

50 Windows of Creativity was a new art trail which tool place in Manchester from 26 October until 13 December 2020 created by Wild in Art – the team behind the award-winning Bee in the City event. The new trail showcased the work of artists and makers in a series of displays in windows, venues, businesses and spaces across the city centre.

The displays featured multiple art forms from fine art and photography to ceramics, crafts, mosaics and murals and were curated by well-known and emerging artists and collectives – all with a connection to Greater Manchester. 

Many of the pieces on display were available to buy directly from the artist or maker, giving a much needed boost to the city’s creative community.

The project concluded with an auction on 17 December 2020 which saw a selection of pieces auctioned with proceeds going to their artists and makers, and to The Lord Mayor of Manchester Charity Appeal Trust – We Love MCR Charity (registered charity number 1066972) which supports disadvantaged communities and individuals to be the best they can be.

50 Windows of Creativity was live for six weeks from 26 October – 13 December 2020 across Manchester city centre.

Global public art producers Wild in Art, whose previous work includes the award-winning Bee in the City art trail which took over the city in 2018 produced the event in partnership with Manchester City Council.

Wild in Art was responsible for delivering all aspects of the event, from securing the sponsorship, curating the art programme and organising the operations and logistics, event management and marketing.

We are living in unusual times and the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have reached every corner of the world. We wanted to create a new type of art trail for Manchester to help people to feel part of the city again. We hope that 50 Windows of Creativity went some way to help to support Manchester’s creative community during this uncertain time, and helped to bring people back into the city centre safely, built trust and confidence and gave people a reason to enjoy art and enjoy creativity.

Staging large-scale events requires a lot of upfront investment and the support of companies through sponsorship packages is critical.

Sponsorship is an opportunity for businesses to show their support to the creative community of the city and to raise their profile, develop key stakeholder relationships and gain access to new customers. It’s also an opportunity to engender employee loyalty, help promote health and wellbeing, and to be a part of a fun and family-friendly initiative that promotes community cohesion and showcases the creativity of Manchester.

The money from the purchase of sponsorship packages has gone towards covering the artists fees, the entire event infrastructure, operations and logistics and marketing and communications.

50 Windows of Creativity was supported by Manchester City Council as part of its post Covid-19 recovery programme.

We are also delighted to have had the support of our Event Partners Auto Trader and Dandara Living and our Supporters, Hobs Repro, Ocean Outdoor, Jamieson Contracting, Transport for Greater Manchester and the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

50 Windows of Creativity was developed in consultation with Manchester City Council’s Events and Culture Teams and the city’s cultural sector. We also engaged with some of the city’s cultural festivals which weren’t able to take place this year to ensure that the process was as inclusive as possible. Due to the production timescales it was not possible to carry out a wider open call to artists.

The artists received a contribution of between £300-£5,000 towards their displays. They also had the opportunity to sell their work directly to the public and receive 50% of the proceeds from auction sales.

Through its high-profile events Wild in Art provides a platform for professional and amateur artists to showcase their work.

The events transform spaces into fun family-friendly galleries, helping people experience art out of traditional settings. Thousands of people will encounter an artist’s work through the displays and learn more about the artist through the event’s marketing channels.

It’s also a great way for artists to help an event’s charity beneficiary through the auction.

The events are positive and fun to be involved with – helping artists to expand their networks and make connections with fellow artists, as well as businesses and community groups.

The displays were in windows, venues, businesses and spaces across the city centre. Some displays were curated by the city’s cultural venues and festivals which haven’t been able to take place this year.

The project concluded with an auction which saw a selection of pieces auctioned with proceeds going to their artists and makers, and to our charity partner, The Lord Mayor of Manchester Charity Appeal Trust – We Love MCR Charity (registered charity number 1066972) which aims to help improve the lives and life chances of Manchester people.

The 50 Windows of Creativity Auction has now closed. If you were a winning bidder Wild in Art will contact you about payment and collection of your lot. If you have any questions, please email us at 50windows@wildinart.co.uk

• 50 Windows of Creativity Auction Terms and Conditions (pdf)

Bee in the City was a large scale public sculpture trail which took place all over Manchester during summer 2018. It was one of the most spectacular public art events to take place in the city.

Over 100 giant Bee and 130 medium-sized Bee sculptures were on display as part of this free, family-fun trail, taking in the city’s landmarks and undiscovered gems. Each Bee was designed by a different artist and celebrated the unique buzz of Manchester, from its industrial heritage to its vibrant music scene. An inspirational learning project gave schools, colleges and youth groups the chance to take part and design their own medium sized Bee.

The event took place in Manchester for nine weeks from 23 July – 23 September 2018.

The sculpture trail covered the city centre and also reached into Manchester City Council’s wards, ensuring that sculpture locations were easily accessible to everyone. A trail map and app were be produced to help people navigate around the trail.

There were over 100 giant Bees decorated by professional artists and community groups, and over 130 medium sized Bees decorated by 120 schools in and around Manchester.

The worker bee is one of the best-known symbols of Manchester. Unique to the city, it has been an iconic part of Manchester’s coat of arms since 1842 and has become synonymous with Manchester’s spirit of enterprise, resilience and industriousness.

The 3D Bee sculpture was custom designed by Wild in Art’s Creative Director, Chris Wilkinson. He has designed many other Wild in Art sculptures, always producing a canvas that enables artists to create hundreds of designs utilising just one sculpture. He keeps the sculptures as simple as possible so that an artist can interpret in their own style.

Wild in Art was the producer of Bee in the City and was responsible for delivering all aspects of the event, from securing the sponsorship, running the Art and Creative Learning Programmes, the operations and logistics, event management and marketing.

The event’s aims supported the overall aims of the ‘Our Manchester’ strategy, which has set a long-term vision for the city’s future.

2018 marked the 10^th anniversary since Wild in Art was founded, and what better way to mark this milestone than an event in the organisation’s home city? When the opportunity arose with Manchester City Council to present one of the most ambitious art events the city had ever seen, Wild in Art could not let it pass – the team felt it was more important than ever before to creatively celebrate everything that is great about Manchester.

Manchester City Council recognises the key strategic role that culture plays in the social and economic life of the city. Wild in Art is ‘buzzing’ to have the Council’s support to present a fun and innovative cultural event that makes art accessible to everybody.

No, Bee in the City was not a memorial or commemoration event.

The bee emblem took on extra resonance in the aftermath of the Arena attack when it was widely used as a symbol of the city’s solidarity and resilience. Whilst Bee in the City is not part of the commemorative programme around the 22 May, it took place in this enduring spirit and recognises the extra poignancy of the bee symbol.

The event was created for Manchester by Wild in Art with support from Manchester City Council in support of The Lord Mayor of Manchester’s charity – We Love MCR Charity.

Staging large-scale events requires a lot of upfront investment. Bee in the City was ‘seed’ funded by Manchester City Council, with the aim of generating significant social, creative, tourism and economic impact benefits for Manchester.

Although the project received initial funding from Manchester City Council, companies in the private sector further supported the project through sponsorship packages.

The money from the purchase of these sponsorship packages goes towards covering the cost of manufacturing the sculpture, paying the artists who decorate the sculptures, and the entire event infrastructure, operations and logistics for putting the sculptures on the streets, and all Bee in the City associated events.

You can find a full list of the Bee in the City sponsors here.

You can find more information about the artists here.

Regional artists with a Manchester connection were encouraged to submit their design ideas. However, to ensure that the pool of designs was as extensive as possible, artists from further afield could also apply. The Bee in the City team considered the design first and foremost for its quality, followed by the artist’s locality, as well as other factors specific to the event.

At the end of the trail the colony came together for a special Farewell Event, giving people a last chance to see the Bees, take their final selfies and even meet some of the artists who created them.

After that, the Bees took centre stage at a glittering Auction in October 2018 to leave a lasting legacy for various local charitable causes via The Lord Mayor’s We Love MCR Charity.

Blank Bee sculptures, both small and large, are not available to buy currently.

This is to protect the value of the Bee in the City sculptures that were auctioned to help raise funds for the Lord Mayor of Manchester’s We Love MCR Charity.

Bee in the City raised funds for The Lord Mayor of Manchester’s We Love MCR Charity (The Lord Mayor of Manchester’s Charity Appeal Trust, registered charity number 1066972), which works to improve the lives and life chances of Manchester people. The We Love MCR Charity aims to support residents who are in the greatest need, helping them to reach their full potential. The charity provides support to local community groups, projects and individuals through two funds – the Community Grants Programme and the Short Breaks for All Grant Programme. Every penny raised stays in Manchester, bringing positive benefits to communities throughout the city.

Please note: The We Love MCR Charity should not be confused with the similarly named We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which was set up following the Manchester Arena attack to help support victims.