Mercato Metropolitano has put the call out for artwork to go on display at its new sustainable community market.

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The competition — open until Monday, November 30 — will see the three best submissions created on the hoardings around the market’s construction site in Ilford.

With building now under way after a delayed start, Mercato Metropolitano (MM) has launched this initiative to get the community involved.Acording to founder and chief executive Andrea Rasca, the competition is part of an ethos to “create new opportunities for growth and change in the local communities around Mercato Ilford”.When completed, the town hall’s car park will be transformed into a covered food market.However, as part of Ilford’s new cultural quarter, Andrea says the market is about so much more: “MM is not only about bringing a new model of a food market to Ilford, but it is, most of all, about creating an urban destination and a new community space for residents, for artisans, for children and families filled with amazing events, initiatives, educational workshops and sustainability actions.“With this call, we want to raise awareness of these opportunities and build MM Ilford, from the start, with and within the local community, starting by giving a chance to local artists to leave their mark in MM’s and Ilford’s history. Their artwork will stay in the market after the opening as well, which will be a new and exciting local hotspot for the community.”All three winners will receive £250 plus the cost of their art supplies, with the only requirement that submissions respect the operator’s three main pillars: food, sustainability and community.With the new opening date still to be confirmed, once open the Ilford market will join MM’s two other sites (in Elephant and Castle and Mayfair).Funding for the project has been obtained thanks to a positive partnership with Redbridge Council, who in 2018 helped secure a £1.8million grant from the London Economic Action Partnership and the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund.Those wishing to enter the competition are asked to send submissions to dreamm@mercatometropolitano.com by midnight on Monday.