Throughout June, Altrincham Town Centre found itself being watched over by 50 life-sized, artistically, designed Corgi statues.
As part of the celebrations for the Queens Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, Altrincham BID worked with Inch Arts to create “Trooping the Corgis”. Businesses across the town commissioned artists, schools and community groups to decorate each dog which were then homed locally. A corgi trail map was produced so that people could walk around Altrincham and hunt them down, bringing smiles and joy to many.
At the end of the month the dogs were auctioned off at a packed-out event at the Bowdon Rooms in Bowdon, which raised an enormous £32,500 that will help fund more community arts programmes around the town.
Simon and Lissa Booth from Foresight were in on the action and as a result we are thrilled to announce that we are now the proud owners for 3 of the coveted corgis, including the much-loved John Corgi Clarke, designed by John Cooper Clarke and Jo Cushing.
Meet the artists behind our 3 new team members:
John Corgi Clarke – John Cooper Clarke is a renowned punk poet, movie star, rock star, TV and radio presenter, comedian, social and cultural commentator. Born in Manchester, he is known as Britain’s best-loved and most important performance poet. The corgi has its’ own framed, signed print of the poem ‘I wanna be yours’. A cover version of this poem was produced by the Artic Monkeys in 2013 and became a fan favourite, racking up nearly 30 million views on YouTube to date. A beautiful poem, it recounts the love of one person for another and has been recited at many weddings over the years.
Jo Cushing also worked on the corgi. She originally trained as an architect before her career as an artist. Jo is CEO of Inch Arts and teaches life drawing.
Printed Goat – Michelle Taube and Zoe Goldman have been friends for many years and have a mutual appreciation for each other’s work. Merging Zoe’s background in design and Michelle’s expertise in painting and illustration, the two have collaborated with Printed Goat, providing bespoke, interactive artwork at affordable prices.
Candy – Oli from Moss Studio & Store in Altrincham teaches weekly pottery classes. The studio produces tableware for local restaurants, cafes and independent shops, and sells local makers’ work. Candy has been embellished with a mosaic crown and coat made from recycled pots that have been left over from uncollected class work.
These dogs make us smile and we are sure they will be very happy in their new home in Hale. Say ‘Hello’ to them next time you visit us. They don’t bite…honest!
Find out more about the event at Altrincham Today
