About An Angel for Edmonton

Left to right: Public Art Champions, Alf, Dejani, Artist Rafael Klein and Public Art Champion Camrhon

An Angel for Edmonton is a new public art sculpture and was officially launched on Sunday 26 May 2024.

The artwork is created by artist Rafael Klein and commissioned by Journeys & Places' Curate Enfield programme and funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Arts Council England. Curate Enfield is a grassroots public art programme designed to support Enfield residents to take the lead in transforming sites in their local area and develop their curatorial and creative skills.

In Angel Edmonton, local residents Dejani, Camrhon and Alf were recruited as Public Art Champions and participated in specialist training to create a public art commission to transform a site in Angel Edmonton town centre. Artist and founder of Hive Curates Chantelle Purcell mentored them throughout this process and supported them to select a site, engage the local community in formulating ideas for the artwork and create an artist's brief for the commission.

Following an open call for submissions, the public art champions selected artist Rafael Klein for his proposal to create a sculpture that celebrated the unique character of Angel Edmonton and provided a warm welcome into the town centre for residents and visitors. Rafael ran creative co-design workshops with pupils from St John and St James School and residents from Joyce & Snells Estates. Workshop participants explored the meaning of 'Angel' and created design motifs which are incorporated into the sculpture.

An Angel for Edmonton is located on the green area outside of Snells Park Estate on Fore Street, directly opposite Florence Hayes Park. The sculpture is a welcome addition to the vibrant and ever expanding collection of public art in Angel Edmonton including the Fore Street Murals, Fore Street Open All Hours Gallery and Our River Lea poetry trail.

Huge thanks to Rafael Klein, Dejani, Camrhon, Alf and Chantelle for their amazing vision and commitment to realizing this project; to additional project partners including REACT, St James & St John's School and Fore Street for All; and to our funders UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Arts Council England.