Have you seen our fantastic new graffiti art mural on the brick wall outside our offices in Merchants Place?
It has been designed by some of our clients and overseen by local artist Kev Waite, who’s also the art tutor at our Work and Life Skills Centre in Cardiff Road.
The aim was to create a vibrant, welcoming piece that reflects our work and involving clients directly in both the design of the mural and the painting of the final piece.
The existing mural hadn’t been updated since 2017, so this is a welcome refresh with costs covered thanks to a grant from CLICK Arts Foundation.
The Stables, which is home to our drop-in service, has recently been refurbished, and the old mural no longer reflected the brighter, more welcoming environment we’ve created. Refreshing it will help bring the space together, lift the area visually and create a more positive first impression for both clients and visitors who come to see us.
It also came at the right time for our growing art group at the Work and Life Skills Centre, giving them a meaningful project to focus on and something they can feel genuinely proud of.
The project has been developed as a co-produced piece of work, with clients from the art group involved from the outset. This includes taking part in early brainstorming and design sessions, shaping the final concept and contributing to the painting itself.
Kev led on the painting of the main design and core elements to ensure the finished piece is of a high standard, while supporting clients to add their own ideas and detail. This approach keeps the quality of the final image high while making sure the mural shows clients’ ideas and their handiwork and feels like something they’ve had a real hand in creating.
CLICK Arts Foundation is a small, finite grassroots fund established to support projects where funding can deliver clear, direct impact within local communities. This project aligned with their priority to support practical, grassroots delivery where funding has an immediate and measurable local impact.
