A national collection of 377 images that tell the stories behind the shopfronts on the English high street.
Picturing Walsall
Three winning images of Walsall high street were chosen and displayed in Gallery Square outside The New Art Gallery Walsall from 2 September to 1 October 2023. The pictures, taken by members of the public of contemporary Walsall high street life, were selected from over 400 entries to GRAIN Projects’ and Historic England’s Picturing Walsall competition.
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Picturing Walsall collection
Photographs by 3 winners and 7 runners-up have entered the Historic England Archive, the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology and social history, as part of the new Picturing High Streets national photography collection.
The photographs were judged by a panel including:
- Annabel Clarke, Senior Communications and Marketing Executive at The New Art Gallery Walsall,
- Stephen Burke, Project Producer at GRAIN Projects, and
- Tamsin Silvey, Cultural Programme Curator at Historic England.
The selected photographs reflect the unique character of Walsall and celebrate the people who make its high street so special, from market traders to shoppers.
Take a look at the winning Picturing Walsall images below:
The winners
The Smiling Merchant - Alishah Iqbal
A wonderful portrait. His smile is infectious!
Annabel Clarke, Senior Communications & Marketing Executive
The New Art Gallery Walsall
The Barbershop Quartet - Anu Gamanagari
Anu Gamanagari’s beautifully composed shot captures the intimacy and speed of this busy barbershop in Walsall. This photograph is both a portrait of the barbers and their clients and of a business that continues to thrive on the high street. You can’t get your hair cut online!
Tamsin Silvey, Cultural Programme Curator
Historic England
Local News for Local People - Jay Mason-Burns
This humorous photograph brings a smile to my face and captures a nostalgic moment on Walsall High Street. The text on the newsstand 'Local News for Local People' is a reflection of what a high street can and should be.
Stephen Burke, Project Producer
GRAIN Projects
The runners-up
Gallery
Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.
More about Picturing High Streets
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Picturing High Streets Collection
A national collection of photographs documenting England’s high streets, taken by artists and members of the public in the early 2020s.
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Picturing High Streets Through the Eyes of the Public
How the Picturing High Streets 3-year project involved the public in creating a contemporary record of England’s high streets.
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