LONDON, ENGLAND.- Arts Council England and Sainsbury’s have teamed up to produce limited edition re-usable shopping bags designed by well-known artists. The bags mean anyone can now get a work of art for only 50p.

To mark Arts Council England’s 60th anniversary, the ‘art in your hand’ bags have been created to promote the use of environmentally friendly carrier bags and raise awareness and debate about the role the arts play in people’s lives.

The three new reusable shopping bags feature specially commissioned work by established artists, including Yorkshire artist Paul Morrison, Michael Craig-Martin and Anya Gallaccio.

Andy Carver, Executive Director for Arts Council England, Yorkshire, said: ‘The Arts Council works to get more art to more people in more places and we wanted to celebrate our 60th anniversary by bringing art into people’s everyday lives. These bags do just that, offering people the chance to buy a piece of original artwork for 50p. Sheffield-based artist Paul Morrison has produced a striking bag which I hope will get people thinking about art and the environment, and encourage them to reuse bags.’

Justin King, chief executive, Sainsbury’s, said: ‘Sainsbury’s strongly believes that encouraging customers to shop with re-usable bags is the best solution, and we hope these special artist-designed bags make it more appealing and easier for customers. The bags also mean that the work of three leading artists is available to all 16 million of our high street shoppers.’

The supershoppers (50p)- The first bag features a wintry woodland sketch by Sheffield-based artist Paul Morrison. The black ink brush strokes depict various forms of flora and fauna against a white background suggesting a snowfall.

The second bag is a celebration of pop art and retro style – in bright orange and turquoise with a bold banana print. This bag is by Michael Craig-Martin, whose works usually fetch around £25k a piece.

The bag for life (10p) - The bag for life, which features vibrant photography of vegetables in a string bag, is by Anya Gallaccio.

The three eye-catching designs aim to encourage shoppers to think about the contribution they can make to the environment by reducing the number of carrier bags they use and Sainsbury's sees the opportunity of working with artists as a way of increasing the desirability of the re-usable bags.

The Arts Council strongly supports this environmental aim and recognises that artists themselves are increasingly engaged with these debates.

The bags will be distributed to 450 Sainsbury's supermarkets across England, launching on 1 November. All proceeds from the bags will be donated to local charities.