The town that made me an artist by Sian Storey

I moved to Basingstoke 21 years ago, training to be an art teacher, with dreams to one day become a full 
time artist. At first, I’ll be honest, I couldn’t see much evidence of an art scene in my new town. But as I 
would discover, Basingstoke was a blank canvas waiting to be painted.

And the turning point came in 2014.

A small collective of emerging local artists - including myself - transformed a unit in Festival Place shopping 
mall into a pop-up art gallery: a dynamic, artist-led space dedicated to contemporary artwork. We had a DIY 
spirit - the artists curated it, ran it, promoted it - entirely independently. It wasn’t just a gallery; it was a place 
to experiment, collaborate, and grow as artists.

The people of Basingstoke responded to the gallery with overwhelming positivity. Visitors returned week after 
week to see our ever-evolving exhibition of new paintings. New artists would come knocking, asking to be a 
part of the gallery. Opportunities appeared. All of a sudden, there was an art scene in the town.

That enthusiastic response from the people of Basingstoke was a catalyst for me; the gallery became an 
instrumental step in my career, ultimately giving me the confidence to take the leap after a decade of 
teaching art in local schools, and become a full-time, professional artist.

And my story is just one of many. Twelve years on, thanks to the continued support of Festival Place, the 
gallery remains a thriving platform for emerging and established artists. Over the years, several have also 
gone on to achieve wide recognition in their fields.

Transforming the town though art

While gallery spaces are vital, much of my own art in Basingstoke has come to life outdoors.

Through mural commissions, and some game-changing projects with Basingstoke and Deane Borough 
Council and Destination Basingstoke, I’ve been able to reach new audiences, and bring art directly into daily 
life. From adorning telecom boxes with bright paintings of garden birds, to adding a splash of colour to the 
brutalist-style Great Wall, to painting murals on shop shutters in South Ham’s Burnaby Parade, I’ve seen 
how street art can help shift the atmosphere of a place, inject some culture, and crucially, a sense of pride.

One of my favourite street art projects in Basingstoke was transforming a long underpass that connects 
Winklebury to the Leisure Park. The railway tunnel was once dark, dank, intimidating and avoided. Today, it 
is an underwater world — vibrant sea creatures, bright coral and shoals of fish stretching across the entire 
tunnel. Families now walk through it slowly instead of rushing. Children point out details. Dog walkers stop to 
take photographs. What was once a space people hurried through has become something of a landmark. 
For me, that underpass symbolises what street art can do. It doesn’t just decorate. It changes how a place 
feels. I think that’s why the local community in Basingstoke has been so supportive of my mural projects.

Talking of transformative, I’ve loved the emergence of the ’Let’s Glow’ installations - an immersive light trail 
that illuminates the town centre during the gloom of winter. It’s adored by local families, transforming their 
everyday urban environment into something magical - much like the acclaimed Basingstoke Festival, which 
brings vibrant culture, street theatre, music and art to the streets of Basingstoke each summer. The buzz in 
the town during festival time is not to be missed.

Surrounded by nature

Although Basingstoke is often perceived as urban at its core, it is in fact a richly rural borough, encircled by 
beautiful countryside, forests and chocolate-box villages. As an artist, I draw direct inspiration from these 
surroundings into my paintings and murals. The wildlife is abundant too; hares, deer, foxes, red kites, 
pheasants, barn owls, yellowhammers… I use my murals to remind residents of this beauty that frames our 
town. We’re so lucky.

My vibrant mural outside Basingstoke train station, for example, depicts the scenic train journey through the 
flourishing Hampshire countryside, en-route to London. Similarly at nearby Micheldever station, you’ll find my 
large mural celebrating the local housemartins that nest in the station each year.

The connection between landscape and creativity runs deep here. Approach Basingstoke by road from the 
countryside, and you’re likely to be greeted by one of the town’s boundary signs. On it - a reminder that this 
borough was the birthplace of one of the world’s most beloved writers - Jane Austen. In the summer of 2017, 
Basingstoke cemented its place in the Jane Austen story, with a public art trail ‘Sitting with Jane’ adorning the 
town with Austen-inspired artworks. I was proud to be a part of such a cultural moment for Basingstoke, with 
literary fans travelling from afar to explore the art trail. Jane herself used to go dancing in Basingstoke’s 
Market Square, and a bronze statue of Jane now stands proudly outside the Willis Museum - a beautiful 
reminder that creativity has long been rooted in this town.

And let’s not forget that the famous Watership Down is on our doorstep too - the wild habitat providing the 
direct inspiration for Richard Adams’ novel about a group of rabbits, which has gone on to inspire 
generations. So much inspiration surrounds us, and it feeds into my work every day.

Inspiring young minds

Talking of inspiring young minds, community engagement has always been central to my practice. Working 
with local schools in Basingstoke, students have helped discover and depict the local wildlife and landscapes 
in their town. When young people see their environment reflected back at them in colour and scale, it builds 
pride and connection. It tells them their home is worth celebrating.

For Basingstoke, winning the Town of Culture bid would be transformative, especially for our younger 
generations. Investment in the arts brings distinctiveness, pride and unity. It sparks imagination. It offers 
escapism. It unlocks inspiration.

Culture here is active and visible - from a thriving community of artists, to renowned performing spaces, to 
schoolchildren painting their first murals. There’s so much happening already, it’s exciting to imagine where 
Basingstoke can go from here