Crewe Art Trail launched with reveal of street art design by renowned artist

A fantastic new Art Trail launched last weekend in Crewe with an activity-packed programme of FREE community events! The Crewe Art Trail has been delivered by Crewe Town Council, with funding awarded from the central government UKSPF fund.

Visitors to the three-day event attended a range of FREE creative and interactive workshops hosted by artists who have created four new artworks for the Crewe Art Trail. Families designed colourful ‘Peace Patterns’ with Cherie Grist, crafted clay tile designs to take home with Carrie Reichardt, embroidered textiles with Vanessa Marr and discovered how to design their own murals with street artist Akse P19. Pop-up temporary installations and displays were hosted at Crewe//Creates, Queens Park, Lyceum Square, Crewe Market Hall and Crewe Engineering and Design UTC. Councillor Ben Wye hosted Art and Heritage Walking Tours to visit the artworks on the Art Trail and explore the history of Crewe.

The programme of events and activities were based on the new artworks featured in the Art Trail and enabled people to meet the artists, learn new skills and have fun!

Latest Crewe Art Trail commission design unveiled: ‘Making Crewe’ by Akse P19
The fourth permanent art installation for the Crewe Art Trail was unveiled on the first day of the Launch Weekend event. Manchester-based street artist Akse P19 shared his design for a photo-realistic image of Crewe from the past, which will be located on the side of the Crewe Town Council building on Forge Street.

The design features a train running on tracks which echoes the actual trainline which used to run at the same location before it was diverted to enable the creation of the Deviation Works. The completed mural will be unveiled later this year.

New permanent Crewe Art Trail commissions

Four new artworks have been commissioned for the Crewe Art Trail from artists across the UK:
• ‘Re-Making Crewe’ mural by Cherie Grist (2024) on High Street with creative input from several local youth organisations
• ‘Stitching Together: Women of Crewe’ artwork installation (2024) on display at Crewe Library, facilitated by Vanessa Marr and created by the women of Crewe
• ‘We Make Crewe’ ceramic mural (2025) located on the side of the Market Shopping Centre, created by Carrie Reichardt with contributions from the Crewe community and local organisations
• ‘Making Crewe’ (2025) by Akse P19, which will be located on the Crewe Town Council Building.

The Crewe Art Trail in numbers

• Over 90 members of the local community took part in over 30 consultation meetings, interviews and co-design workshops to develop a theme and principles
• 332 young people and local creatives have taken part in 19 workshops and co-creation projects
• 260 free DIY embroidery kits have been given to participants to take part in the Stitching Together Project
• 2 podcasts created
• 4 new permanent public artworks in Crewe Town Centre have been commissioned by artists from across the UK
• 18 art works, projects, displays and exhibitions by local artists and organisations will be celebrated as part of the trail featuring a diverse range of skills and mediums including sculpture, painting, photography, film, print making, collage, textiles and more!

The Crewe Art Trail

Crewe Town Council has been awarded central government UKSPF funding to deliver an Arts Development Project and Art Trail between February 2024 and March 2025, consolidating the Town Council’s commitment to developing arts and culture within the town. The trail will be displayed in accessible locations throughout Crewe for residents and visitors alike to enjoy.

Centred around the theme Making Crewe, the Art Trail pays tribute to the town’s history of making, its prominent figures and also celebrates the communities who make Crewe what it is today.

The Crewe Art Trail will lay the foundations required for future delivery of public art in Crewe and will contribute to the development of Crewe’s cultural scene.

Find out more about the UKSPF funded Arts Development Project and Crewe Art Trail here

A spokesperson for Crewe Town Council said: “We had a fantastic weekend introducing the Crewe Art Trail to our local community and visitors to Crewe! It was amazing to see so many people enjoying the free creative workshops hosted by professional artists and having a go at producing their own works of art. We hope that the Crewe Art Trail will inspire people to learn new skills and appreciate the fantastic local talent we have in Crewe.

We are excited that the Arts Development Project has set the foundations for the future delivery of public art in Crewe through valuable community consultation and skills building. We encourage everyone to continue to discover and enjoy the Art Trail over the duration of the project!”