Public Sculpture in Thirsk...

I love public sculptures, and I am still disappointed that the excellent figure of James (Alf Wight) Herriot is confined to the garden behind his old surgery in Kirkgate, now the Herriot Centre, of course, rather than being on more public display in the Market Place.

I am not sure that the latest contribution to public art in Thirsk matches this! The gigantic figure of a green beetle has appeared outside the door of the Rural Arts building.

It is by Yorkshire artist Sarah Sciewe, is part of the “Idea of the North” exhibition, currently on in the building.

The re-imagined beast celebrates the tansy beetle, which is found surviving in the UK on a stretch of the River Ouse, from York, to a few miles south.

(The tansy beetle was driven to near extinction by the demand for its green and orange wing cases as a Victorian fashion embellishment)

It would be best viewed from behind and above, but close scrutiny is probably not advised for those who hate creepy-crawlies!























(To read the rest of this article go along to your nearest stockist and buy a copy of the paper)