A little bit of mess – check.
A challenge – most definitely.
Great fun for you, everyone you know, and everyone you don’t know – guaranteed.
Beautiful art at the end – I will not leave without your wall looking stunning!
The best bit – a sense that you are a part of a community that cares for their home.
These are all the reasons why I personally love Community Murals. They are chaos, in the most beautiful way – paint will fly, things will evolve, but your community will own it and love it.
I feel like I’m talking in riddles here – so let’s cut to the details.
The example below is “Percival’s Flowers” this was created in the summer of 2022 by Scunthorpe Renaissance Town Team and myself as the lead artist. When I suggested getting members of the public involved in this project – a lot of jaws hit floors – probably a bit like what yours did when you clicked on the “Murals in the Community” section on my website.
I’m telling you now – yes, I suggest that people come up scaffolding to paint, that yes, they will be painting your wall, and yes, they will make a mess.
But I am also telling you that you could visit “Percival’s Flowers” and be told that one artist created this and you wouldn’t even doubt that piece of information.
The truth is, over 35 people got involved in the painting of this, from age 5, to 75. Two tins of paint were dropped, and barring the pink scaffold boards that I believe still get used – you wouldn’t know.
I’m telling you – your community (with a little bit of guidance and supervision) can create masterpieces; and I guarantee that the moment you learn that a piece of art was created by the community – you smile even more.
