This was a groundbreaking initiative between 2023-2026, harnessing the origins of creative innovation in the Tees Valley to deliver vibrant public art across the UK. Spearheaded by Middlesbrough Art Week and Navigator North, and backed by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, FORGED aimed to establish the region as a national hub for public art.
The programme was made up of three areas of focus, supporting emerging and mid-career artists through –
· Commissioning & Touring: Public touring artworks created in the Tees Valley
· FORGED Foundations: A versatile public art display system, made in the Tees Valley and built to showcase a rolling programme of artworks
· FORGED Public Art Action Plan & Directory: a curated list of local material suppliers and fabricating businesses to support artists to produce work in the Tees Valley published as part of a Tees Valley – Public Art Action Plan
Commissioning & Touring
Bottom Row – Kiosk at Queen Elizabeth 6th Form College, Darlington. Photo Credit: Scott Akoz
The Kiosk by Adam Shaw
Commissioned by Navigator North originally for Most Creative Station in 2024, The Kiosk has gone on to become an interactive touring artwork exploring memory, nostalgia, and local heritage through a mobile creative experience. Inspired by E.D. Walker & Wilson newsagent’s kiosk, Adam has reimagined The Kiosk as a space to delve into the area’s rich local history through conservation, creative activities, and visual storytelling.
Through FORGED, The Kiosk toured Darlington and was hosted in three different community settings over Summer 2025, including The Rydal Academy, Hopetown Darlington and Queen Elizabeth 6th Form College. It invites the public and its host communities to share stories and embark on a journey through time, bringing local heritage to life through creative activities.
With funding through the S&DR 26miles Community Grant Scheme and made possible by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative Darlington, and Hopetown Darlington, The Kiosk connects directly to the S&DR200 Celebrations in 2025.
‘hold me and show me you love me’ by Stuart Langley
Commissioned by Navigator North as a co-commission with FORGED and WE SHALL BE this work by Stuart Langley incorporates publicly donated, defunct mobile phones.
Inspired by and fabricated in the once thriving steel making heartland of Teesside, it explores how shifting industries, and technology has formed the foundation of human activity and continues to drive lives, dreams and delusions. It invites the viewer to consider the emotional and physical effects of a life lived through a screen.
The work was installed at Middlesbrough Railway Station in September 2025 and featured in Middlesbrough Art Week.
WE SHALL BE is a community-led commissioning programme, designed to transform public spaces around Middlesbrough Railway Station in Middlesbrough – a key gateway into the town.
FORGED Foundations
A versatile public art display system, made in the Tees Valley and built to showcase a rolling programme of artworks. Developed with fabricator David Stupple with it’s first commission by Alia Gargum, ‘I Remember Libya’ which was commissioned through FORGED with support from the Henry Moore Foundation.
FORGED Public Art Action Plan & Directory
Through an action-research approach, the programme has looked closely at the commission and fabrication supply chain, working to lower access barriers for artists entering the public realm and increase engagement from stakeholders across the region. Alongside supporting artists through new public art commissions, we’ve developed the FORGED Directory, a curated list of local material suppliers and fabricating businesses, and published our Public Art Action Plan with Beam.
FORGED was delivered by Middlesbrough Art Week and Navigator North with funding from Tees Valley Combined Authority.
For more information about FORGED from our partners Middlesbrough Art Week (powered by The Auxiliary) visit their website here