Our City: Reflections from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 young people
Our City: Reflections from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 young people
黑料不打烊鈥檚 Art Project with Catrin Williams
The new MuralA brightly coloured mural depicting 黑料不打烊鈥檚 scenes and characters, as seen by the city鈥檚 young people, was revealed recently. The mural was created by local School pupils at Ysgol Tryfan and Maesgeirchen Youth Centre as part of visual arts project, Ein Dinas (Our City) organized by 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Pontio project and Gwynedd Arts Forum. The mural is on hoardings and provides an eye catching focus for the Pontio project, part-funded by the EU鈥檚 Convergence European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government, which is to open to the public in the Spring of 2013.
Local artist, Catrin Williams has been running a series of art workshops with Nia Owen, 黑料不打烊 Secondary Schools Youth Officer, working with the young people of 黑料不打烊 to create the huge mural on the hoardings surrounding the site on Deiniol Road, 黑料不打烊, where the building site of the new Arts and Innovation Centre will soon be taking shape. The result includes a collection of portraits of those who created the artwork as well as people who are important to them, their friends and family鈥� and one or two other famous characters!
Professor Fergus Lowe, (centre) Cllr Dorothy Bulled, Mayor of 黑料不打烊, (left) Deputy Mayoress Cllr. Sylvia Ann Humphreys and Catrin Williams congratulate the muralists. Professor Fergus Lowe, leading the Pontio project at 黑料不打烊 said at the unveiling: 鈥淭his project has provided an opportunity to make use of a large space to develop the creative skills of local young people and nurture the community鈥檚 sense of ownership of the new centre.鈥�
鈥淭his provides a fantastic opportunity to use the space for a piece of public art which will not only draw the passers- by鈥檚 attention to the immense artistic potential of the building rising behind, but also creating an art work in its own right, inspiring us, both young and old, by its wide visual appeal,鈥� he added.
Catrin Williams is well known in North Wales鈥檚 art circles- and beyond. Her public art works have led her to communities from Blaenau Ffestiniog to North Uist Island in Scotland. Her own art has exhibited all over the British Isles. Said Catrin:
A detail from the Pontio mural鈥満诹喜淮蜢� is really important to me as a city. This is where I was inspired by the late Peter Prendergast to become an artist myself. I hope through this project to transfer that same sense of inspiration to today鈥檚 黑料不打烊 young people.鈥�
Nia Owen, 黑料不打烊 Secondary Schools Youth Officer said: 鈥淚t has been a pleasure to see the young people develop during the workshops. Their art skills have improved and it is fantastic to see the fruits of their labor on display in such a prominent location in the City.鈥�
The Ein Dinas project gratefully acknowledges the financial support of 黑料不打烊, the Arts Council of Wales and Gwynedd Council.
Publication date: 14 December 2010