Therme Manchester launches next-gen art competition with Manchester Art Fair

Therme Manchester has been announced as an associate sponsor of this weekend’s Manchester Art Fair, and has launched a new art competition to mark the partnership.

Artists of the Future invites young people to design artwork that will feature on an Outdoor Gallery surrounding the construction site of the giant new wellbeing resort that is to be built in TraffordCity. The venue will feature indoor and outdoor pools, thermal zones, botanical gardens, and family-friendly leisure spaces.

Boses say that Artists of the Future forms part of Therme Manchester’s broader social value and community engagement strategy, which aims to promote health, creativity, and inclusion across Greater Manchester. Organised in partnership with Gorse Hill Studios in Stretford, the competition will engage schools and youth groups in Trafford and Salford, with all materials provided to ensure inclusive participation.

The project will give young people a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity on a large public platform, transforming the perimeter of the Therme Manchester site into a vibrant artistic showcase. Pupils will be invited to create original artwork inspired by the themes of nature, fun, water, and wellbeing, and winning designs will be professionally reproduced and displayed as large-scale artworks on the Therme Manchester Outdoor Gallery, which will surround the site.

Gorse Hill Studios will be facilitating workshops at Manchester Art Fair on Sat 22 Nov, 2.30pm-4.30pm, and on Sun 23 Nov, 1.30pm-3pm. In these workshops, young people will be invited to carry out the same activity that will later be rolled out for local schools and youth centres.

Rob Creber, Head of Social Value & Partnerships at Therme UK, said: “Therme Manchester is about wellbeing, community and connection. Supporting us is our Therme Art team who play a leading role in supporting creative expression and highlighting the relationship between art and wellbeing.

“Launching this competition at Manchester Art Fair allows us to celebrate young creativity and give local children the chance to inspire us all and leave their mark on one of the region’s most exciting developments. It’s a meaningful way to connect art, community and wellbeing, while giving something back to the neighbourhood that will help shape Therme’s future home.”

Thom Hetherington founder of Manchester Art Fair said: “Art is something which can have a positive impact across so many aspects of society, and equally everything Manchester Art Fair does is to develop the wider cultural ecology across Manchester and the North. For both those reasons the partnership with Therme makes perfect sense, and we’re thrilled to support their Artists of the Future competition. Manchester has always been a city of creativity, and this fantastic initiative will help to unlock the next generation of artistic talent in Trafford and Salford.”