A total of £84,000 could be spent on a series of public art commissions in Weymouth, celebrating the town's connection to water and the sea.

Dorset-based arts organisation b-side has launched a brief for up to six new artworks to be created in the town.

The scheme is to be funded by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and supported by Wessex Water.

Up to £14,000 is offered for each artwork, to cover all expenses including artist fee, research, production of designs, site visits, making, fabrication, materials, production, delivery of artworks and overseeing of installation.

There is a separate budget for installation of artworks.

Last summer a WalkTalkArt event was arranged, as part of a public consultation conducted by b-side on behalf of the council. The walks gave residents an opportunity to discuss ideas around what type of art, and which parts of Weymouth might be prioritised for a series of art commissions.

Carolyn Black, b-side project manager, said: “We heard some brilliant ideas and we would like to thank all those that took part and shared their thoughts and time with us, they have really helped to inform the artists brief.”

Following the WalkTalkArt consultation, b-side have launched an artist brief to create up to six new artworks for the town. The artist brief has a deadline of March 1, 2019.

Artists will be selected by members of the Arts Advisory Panel, chaired by Cllr Richard Kosior, briefholder for culture.

Cllr Kosior said: “The public art trail for Weymouth town centre is an exciting and innovative project and we are keen to recruit excellent artists who have the skills and experience to produce something exciting for the town.”

The artworks will create a trail that tells the story of Weymouth, taking the theme of water as a starting point, and highlights a number of water bottle refill units, which will be installed around the town by Wessex Water.

All the artworks must be sufficiently robust to survive outdoors and have a minimum lifespan of ten years. This means made of suitable materials, vandal proof and weather-resistant while complying with health and safety regulations.

The application process is via an online portal called CuratorSpace. The deadline for expressions of interest is March 1 at 5pm and the selected artists will be notified by Friday, March 15. All artworks are expected to be installed by Spring 2020.

For full details go to: curatorspace.com

To enquire about the project, email carolyn@b-side.org.uk