// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Turner Prize winner's new vision for hometown
The former Mercedes-Benz garage is to be converted into a space for exhibitions, education and community engagement
A Turner Prize-winning artist has revealed plans to transform a former car showroom near where he grew up, into a centre for art and learning.
Keith Tyson has bought the former Mercedes-Benz garage on Princes Street in Ulverston, where he said he hopes to create a space for exhibitions, education and community engagement.
The privately funded project aims to give young people opportunities to experience art after Tyson's own artistic education was shaped by local libraries growing up.
He said "there were no galleries for miles around" so he thought this could be a chance to "give young people in the community an opportunity to see and learn about art" in a way that he never had.
Tyson said the project had potential to become an arts destination for the north
Tyson said the project was still in its early stages but he was "excited by the building's potential to become an arts destination" for the north.
The artist, who won the Turner Prize in 2002, said he hoped the centre would include exhibition space, a reference library and programmes for schools and the wider community.
"We're still in the very early stages of the project, but I'm really excited about this beautiful building's potential to become an arts destination, celebrating creativity, especially in the north, and supporting learning and engagement through exhibitions, education, and other resources," he said.
Among those pleased to see the plans come forward is Adrian Newnham, Tyson's former art teacher at George Romney School in Dalton.