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Citizens and visitors are being encouraged to discover the wealth of sculptures Birmingham has to offer with the help of a new book being unveiled tomorrow, Friday, 30th May.

The launch will take place in Birmingham City Council’s Banqueting Suite in the Council House with the Leader of the Council, Mike Whitby and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Cllr Chauhdry Rashid.

Birmingham Public Sculpture Trails takes people on a step-by-step tour of the city’s diverse and uniquely accessible sculptures through four individual trails.

The pocket-sized book not only highlights the artistic qualities of many of the pieces, but also offers a wealth of background detail about the commissioning of the works, the people commemorated by them and the artists who made them.
 
The authors George T. Noszlopy and Fiona Waterhouse, from Birmingham City University will both be at the launch along with representative from the publishers Liverpool University Press.

The Leader of the City Council, Mike Whitby, said: “With the aid of this book, it’s apparent that we are surrounded by a fantastically rich tapestry of sculptures – in our squares, in our streets, in our parks, and on our buildings.  

“We are truly fortunate to be able to see world class examples of the new, like the River Goddess in Centenary Square, only a few minutes away from important historical examples of the old, like that of Lord Nelson in the Bullring.

“I encourage everyone to use this book as a tool in accessing Birmingham’s sculptural heritage, to explore the city, and to take in some of the wide variety of sculpture on offer.

“I hope in doing so people will see some of our thoroughfares and meeting places transformed before their eyes – into vast public galleries, where some of Birmingham’s most significant artwork is displayed.”

The council and its partners continue to work hard at keeping the city’s sculptures as accessible as possible with recent conservation work including the return of William Blore’s reguilded Boulton, Murdoch and Watt statue in time for the 50th anniversary of its installation.
The funding to restore Albert Toft's statue of King Edward VII, and relocate it from Highgate Park to Centenary Square has also recently been identified and next month the Thomas Attwood statue in Sparkbrook will be moved into storage for conservation.