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Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Pride Of Place Bedford

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Pride Of Place Bedford

Reinventing Bedford's vacant retail space for creative & community use.

14/03/2026

🚨 Thank you for those that have been in touch, we are aware that the alarm is going off at 20 Harpur Street (the Old Clarks) 🚨

This was flagged yesterday to the management company, and we are still waiting for it to be turned off. Unfortunately, we do not have access (or have the means) to fix this ourselves. We are doing all we can to chase, but appreciate it must be causing frustration for local residents and businesses. Our sincerest apologies.

The POP team and Bedford Creative Arts.

17/04/2025

✨NEW POP ART EXHIBITION✨
📍20 Harpur Street, Bedford, K40 1LB

Fiona Wilson is a Bedford mixed media artist based at in The Arcade. Working directly from life and using music to draw on memories, imagination and the sub-conscious, her approach is expressive and semi-abstract with a foundation in observational drawing.

The first collection of paintings explores and celebrates new life, motherhood and the unique dynamic between parent and child. It captures the little fleeting moments of pure joy and togetherness, the challenges, the growth and the change.

The second collection of original works on paper and canvas and limited edition prints were painted to music, translating the sounds into a visual language of line, rhythm and colour.

Fi’s work is so full of emotion, and life. Make sure you take a detour past the space and let us know what you think.

POP ART is a project delivered by in partnership with , founder of Pride Of Place Bedford. Made possible thanks to funding from and the Gale Family Trust.

You can find out more about our project, and meet the previous exhibiting artists by heading to the link in bio and tapping ‘POP ART’.

07/01/2025

POP ART - Artist Highlight 🎨
📍20 Harpur Street, MK40 1LB

Happy New year one and all - we’re one whole week in to 2025 already and plans are afoot for our next exhibition. In the meantime, we’ve got another artist highlight for you from the giant windows of 20 Harpur Street.

Daniel Rayner is a local artist trying to make beautiful art (we reckon he’s succeeded), and likes to paint that feeling when one is connected and tuned in to something wonderful, despite all the tough things you might be enduring.

“I have no idea why I paint, i just seem to have a compulsion that I can’t explain - I love to use colour and detail on mostly large canvases making paintings of monsters and fantasy worlds. I always love it when I find other people that draw, it always amazes me that others will sit down and create. On display is a small ross-section of an ever-growing collection I’m working on, using the same mark-making and colour palette, but with the narrative progressing with each piece.”

Have you seen the exhibit yet? Which is your favourite painting of Daniel’s? 💙

POP ART is a project delivered by in partnership with us here at Pride Of Place Bedford, using funds from Town Centre Priority Fund.

30/12/2024

POP ART - Artist Highlight 🎨
📍20 Harpur Street, MK40 1LB

Laura Dove is a Community Artist and Trainee Art Therapist from Bedfordshire. She has a fascination for how creativity and humans interlink, and graduated in Visual Communication at Leeds College of Art, 2013.

Her art is experimental and bold, exploring the concept of pleasure and how to visually conceptualise feelings. She uses a range of mixed medias in her work, and is fond of working large-scale with paint brush to canvas. She is intrigued at how written word can combine with visual symbol - and this is something she also practices in her works and journalling. She admires the fragility and emotion attached to a flower, which she has explored in recent works. The flower offers a multitude of physical sensations; from the velvet-soft petals which spread radially, to the symmetry and colourful natural beauty.

Have you seen the exhibit yet? Swipe for some install shots. It’s a visual feast for the eyes 💙

POP ART is a project delivered by in partnership with us here at Pride Of Place Bedford, with funding from the Town Centre Priority Fund

20/12/2024

POP ART - Artist Highlight 🎨
📍20 Harpur Street, MK40 1LB

Mo Rahman is a Bedford based mixed media artist with a background in book, fantasy (cards and tabletop), computer game and comic illustration working mainly digitally. His studio space is in across the road in The Arcade.

More recently, Mo has transitioned to incorporate more traditional media into his practice working primarily in acrylic, allowing Mo to experiment with various styles, techniques and mediums.

The first exhibited body of work touches on themes of identity and technology and contains retro futuristic depictions drawing inspiration from 80’s cyberpunk, post World War Two manga and afro futurism. The art is mostly figurative and characterised by its use of vivid colours, smooth shading and strong silhouette.

Mo’s second collection comprises contemporary figurative images, drawing inspiration from his South Asian heritage, depicting scenes using bold shapes, patterns and vibrant colours.

Have you seen the exhibit yet? Swipe for some install shots. It’s a visual feast for the eyes 💙

POP ART is a project delivered by in partnership with us here at Pride Of Place Bedford.

01/12/2024

Have you seen the beautiful .art exhibition of her wildlife and landscape paintings at yet?

Karen has tried to capture her love of the natural world in the work you see here. Her passion for British landscape and wildlife is captured in a more impressionistic style. She always starts with a bright under colour, uses a large brush which gives a loose and painterly feel to the work. You can really see the joy in her paintings.

Over the years she has worked in many mediums, watercolours, acrylic inks and pastels and is now painting mainly with acrylic on canvas, enjoying working on big pieces in an expressive impressionistic style.

Karen also enjoys some mixed media/collage art, and sometimes combines the two. With a love of colour and large expressive brush marks she likes to capture the energy and memory of beautiful moments. Whether it be stormy skies, to hares jumping, or sheep just grazing on a hot summer’s day.

Karen is member of Herts Visual Arts and a qualified tutor offering private tuition and workshops locally.

Karen Mangold .art
📍Wellbeing Media Studios, 22 St. Mary’s Street, MK42 0AS

Find out more about the current window exhibits under the POP ART page on the website (link in bio). POP ART is a project from in partnership with at Pride Of Place Bedford using funding from the Town Centre Priority Fund.

25/11/2024

✨NEW POP ART EXHIBITION ✨
Laura Dove, Mo Rahman & Daniel Rayner
📍20 Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 1LB

You may have spotted us installing a brand-new exhibit this weekend during Storm Bert with work from three, skilled, Bedford borough artists which has brining some serious colour to the Harpur Street window space.

is a Community Artist and Trainee Art Therapist from Bedfordshire. She has a fascination for how creativity and humans interlink. Her art is experimental and bold, exploring the concept of pleasure and how to visually conceptualise feelings. Laura is intrigued at how written word can combine with visual symbol and admires the fragility and emotion attached to a flower, which she has explored in recent works

Mo Rahman is a Bedford based mixed media artist with a background in book, fantasy, computer game and comic illustration. The exhibited bodies of work touches on themes of identity and technology and contains retro futuristic depictions drawing inspiration from 80’s cyberpunk, post World War Two manga and afro futurism. The second collection comprises of contemporary figurative images, drawing inspiration from Mo’s South Asian heritage, depicting scenes using bold shapes, patterns and vibrant colours.

Daniel Rayner is a local artist trying to make beautiful art, and likes to paint that feeling when one is connected and tuned in to something wonderful, despite all the tough things you might be enduring. Daniel loves to use colour and detail on mostly large canvases making paintings of monsters and fantasy worlds. On display is a small ross-section of an ever-growing collection I’m working on, using the same mark-making and colour palette, but with the narrative progressing with each piece.”

Find out more about the current window exhibits under the POP ART page on the website (link in bio). POP ART is a project from in partnership with at Pride Of Place Bedford using funding from the Town Centre Priority Fund.

23/11/2024

FINAL OPEN STUDIO OF 2024

Join us for the last open studio of the year. Come and see the artists at work in their space, and browse sketchbooks, originals, prints, greetings cards and work in progress. Ask questions about their process, materials, inspiration, or just come and see what it’s like in a shared artist studio.

Perfect timing for Christmas too…you might not be able to leave empty handed!

Studio artists:

🎨 Sunday 1 December
⏰ 10am - 3pm
📍POP STUDIO4, 4 Market Hall, The Arcade, Bedford, MK40 1NS

04/11/2024

POP ART - Artist Highlight 🎨
📍20 Harpur Street, MK40 1LBillustration

Alice Hibbert is an illustrator based in Central Bedfordshire and currently in her final year studying Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Alice takes most of her inspiration from the natural world, as well as from folklore and mythology.

She enjoys depicting mythological creatures, drawing on historical accounts and texts to create accurate representations as well as adding her own interpretation. Alice also enjoys playing with anthropomorphism in her animal illustrations. Her favourite animals to depict are bears, but also wildlife local to Bedfordshire such as foxes, badgers and rabbits. Alice uses gouache paint with occasional detail added in coloured pencil. All her illustrations are originally painted A5 size or smaller.

Alice is interested in narrative and storytelling within illustration. Post graduation she would like to pursue a career in children’s book illustration. To date she has displayed work in the Royal Academy Young Artists Summer Show, UAL Origins Creatives Exhibition and last year her artwork was commissioned by Bedford College for display in the newly refurbished Tower Block.

Have you seen the exhibit yet? Would love to hear your thoughts below 👇

POP ART is led by and is delivered in partnership with Pride Of Place Bedford. It was made possible thanks to funding from the Town Centre Priority Fund.

24/10/2024

THE BIG FAT SALON HANG

Opens today (Friday 25 Oct) at 10am 🎉with a huge 20% off early bird discount all day today.

It’s an epic exhibition with gallons of new work alongside originals, prints and studies from all five studio artists. You’ll find art to suit all budgets and tastes with such a diverse range of styles and mediums. Come visit!

Find us at 4 Market Hall, The Arcade, MK40 1NS
Open:
Friday 25 - Sunday 27 October
10am - 5pm

Friday late: 6pm - 9pm

18/10/2024

New POP ART Exhibition
Karen Mangold .art
📍22 St. Mary’s Street, MK42 0AS

We have installed a new artist over for our POP ART project, and it’s perfect subject matter for those Autumn in to Winter days with the sun low in the sky. We’re delighted to introduce the wonderful Karen Mangold.

Karen is an experienced artist and has been painting for around 25 years. She still lives in the same rural Bedfordshire village which she was born in, close to local farms and fields with most of her subject matter inspired by these. With a love of colour and large expressive brush marks, Karen likes to capture the energy and memory of beautiful moments.

Over the years she has worked in many mediums: watercolours, acrylic inks and pastels but has mainly spent the last 5 years painting with acrylic on canvas, enjoying working on big pieces in an expressive impressionistic style. Karen also enjoys some mixed media/collage art, and sometimes combines the two. Whether it be stormy skies, to hares jumping, or sheep just grazing on a hot summer’s day. A member of Herts Visual Arts and a qualified tutor offering private tuition and workshops locally, Karen also takes commissions.

Stop by to view the exhibition which will be in place for at least six weeks and see the huge, expressive brushstrokes for yourself.

POP ART is led by in partnership with producer and curator Talia Giles at Pride Of Place Bedford. It has been made possible thanks to funding from the Town Centre Priority Fund.

Address

POP STUDIO4, 4 Market Hall, The Arcade
Bedford
MK401NS

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Website

https://www.prideofplacebedford.co.uk/, https://linktr.ee/prideofplacebedford

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