A series of giant colourful billboards in central Middlesbrough is creating a vibrant roadside artwork for the town at the site of The Northern School of Art’s £14.5m new campus.

Building work is now underway on the School’s architect-designed, purpose-built, three-storey college-level building opposite the BBC studios in Middlesbrough that will replace its existing Acklam base in September 2021.

The 5,200 sq.metre building will create new teaching space for the north’s only specialist art and design college, which provides a range of arts, design, theatre and film courses and is recognised as a pre-eminent institution with an Outstanding Ofsted rating since 2009.

The new location lends itself to providing an easily accessible base for students from across the Tees Valley who are attracted by the School’s specialist creative curriculum, as well as supporting greener transport options with easy access to the bus and railway stations.

Funding for the project has been provided by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority Cabinet.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, pictured above left with The Northern School of Art Principal Dr Martin Raby, said: “It is really exciting to see these billboards go up as it marks us getting another step closer to the opening of this fantastic new state-of-the-art home for the Northern School of Art in the centre of Middlesbrough.

“It is great that we have been able to provide this funding for this vitally important project for the School, which is hugely important to the whole of the Tees Valley with its reputation as a national centre for excellence in the art, design and creative sectors.

“As part of my plan for jobs – creating good quality local jobs for local people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool – we need to make sure our young people get the education and training they need to help them develop the skills they need to succeed in a successful career, and this new campus will help us do that.”

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “The Northern School of Art’s new campus will be an amazing addition to the Middlesbrough skyline.

“It will be an iconic building right at the heart of town, and these striking billboards are just a taste of what’s to come.

“It’s a development of regional importance, and a major focal point for innovation and creativity.”

The Northern School of Art’s Principal, Martin Raby, pictured above being interviewed at the media launch for the site, said: “Our Middlesbrough campus is unique in providing specialist education and training for those who wish to embark on a creative career in industries such as film, theatre, fashion, photography and design. We are very proud to be rated one of the highest achieving colleges in the Tees Valley.

“After a challenging year for everyone, it is wonderful to see the first work on site for our new campus and we are very grateful to our funders, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, with the support of Middlesbrough Council.”

The Northern School of Art’s Middlesbrough campus has a string of alumni with successful careers in the creative sector to its name including its very own graphic designer, Jamie Kirk, pictured below, who designed the billboards.

Household name artists like Mackenzie Thorpe also studied at the Green Lane campus, as did more recent graduates like fashion and portrait photographer Danny Lowe who has created photoshoots for GQ, Vogue and Esquire, sibling fashion designers and Lielle Womenswear co-founders Natalie and Danielle Futo, the eponymous handmade fashion label creator, Olivia Rose and jewellery designer Jessica Hall whose work has been featured in the September 2020 issue of Vogue.

The new £14.5m campus has been funded by the office of the Tees Valley Mayor and the Tees Valley Combined Authority working with the support of the Middlesbrough Mayor and Middlesbrough Council.

The project is being delivered with the professional support of Arcadis, BAM, Faithful & Gould, Jacksons Law Firm and Seven Architecture, the team are pictured on the site below.

For information about The Northern School of Art’s A-levels, Diplomas, Degrees and postgraduate courses and open days, please visit www.northernart.ac.uk

Pictured at the top, from the left, are Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, Principal of The Northern School of Art Dr Martin Raby and Middlesbrough campus UAL Extended Diploma in Interactive Design students Nina Pattinson and Aimee Jones