Art Of Protest Projects wants to hear your views on creating Front Street community mural and street bench refurbishment

“We are passionate about getting the community involved,” says Art Of Protest Projects founder and creative director Jeff Clark

ART Of Protest (AOP) has been awarded a UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant by City of York Council to create a more vibrant, people-friendly, accessible space for all in Front Street, Acomb.

The grant will go towards installing a community mural and eight benches as part of a wider regeneration of Front Street.

Art Of Protest Projects, a social impact enterprise founded in 2016 and based in York, engages communities in place-making and public art, with its team of professional creatives, artists and storytellers having delivered a series of projects in York and beyond so far.

Many of the team reside in Acomb, making the latest project close to their hearts, and already AOP is proactive within the Acomb community, presenting their flagship creative learning workshops at York High School and Inspire Academy.

Founder and creative director Jeff Clark says: “We want to deliver something that the Acomb community can be proud of for decades to come. It’s not just about creating art, it’s about listening to the views of the people.”

Councillor Katie Lomas, City of York Council Executive Member with responsibility for Finance and Major Projects, says: “It is great to see the Front Street project taking another step forward and this is a very exciting part of the transformation. So far, we have seen new seating and planters installed, upgraded public toilets, improved Blue Badge parking and removed a significant number of bollards.

“We are looking forward to working closely with artists at Art Of Protest Projects to introduce public art to the area, which 68 per cent of respondents supported during our consultation last spring. We will continue listening to the community and get to the heart of what residents would like to see.

“It is vital that the local community is involved and helps to shape these designs, which will be part of Front Street for years to come, so I’d encourage everyone who lives or spends time in Acomb to share your thoughts. I would also like to thank everyone for their patience while work is ongoing in the area, and I look forward to seeing more of these improvements take shape as the project progresses.”

Jeff adds: “AOP aims to creatively engage and impassion individuals of all capabilities and backgrounds to build local capacity and skills. We believe that art is a common and universal language where people of all ages, creeds and beliefs can meet, engage and connect.”

AOP has tight deadlines set by UK Shared Prosperity Fund to complete the installation by the end of March, preceded by a series of open consultation events running during the last week of January and the first week of February.

Art Of Protest’s poster invitation to mural and benches engagement sessions in Acomb

Spray paint mural engagement sessions will be held at Acomb Explore Library on January 27, 5pm to 7pm, The Place, Acomb, January 28, 4pm to 5.30pm, and Gateway Centre, Acomb, February 3, 5pm to 7pm. Paint-a-pot benches engagement sessions will take place at The Place on January 29, 3.30pm to 4.30pm, and Acomb Explore Library on January 31, 10am to 12 noon.  

Jeff says:  “We want to build on the community consultations that have already taken place, listening to the views to celebrate Acomb’s heritage, to be bright, fun and inviting.”

For the mural consultations, he explains: “We are arranging a series of workshops at local schools, as well as creative spray paint workshops where participants can take away their own piece of art home and inspire the design brief for the mural. The mural will be a community totem, carefully crafted and shaped by community input”.

For the bench consultations, Jeff says: “Accessibility is really important and there is also an opportunity to signpost the local community to our green spaces and celebrate local flora. The bench engagement sessions will be an opportunity to chat about what you want to see, as well as paint your own plant pot to take away a seedling or plant.

“The curators’ responsibility is to capture as many Acomb residents’ voices and project them into one shared vision. We love the local area and want to create a legacy piece that celebrates all the local green spaces as well as Acomb’s connection to the oak trees.”

You can book for the engagement events at eventbrite.co.uk/o/art-of-protest-projects-40881047083 or by emailing workshops.aopprojects@gmail.com.

AOP is arranging drop-in sessions on Front Street with everyone welcome at The Place on January 30, 10am to 12 noon, Bluebird Bakery, February 1, 3pm to 5pm, and Gateway Centre, February 4, 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

A key aspect of the project is the Street Art Academy, delivered in partnership with The Place with its ethos to create, collaborate and increase curiosity, confidence and capability. This structured programme will up-skill and create cultural capital and legacy by providing career pathways in the creative industries.

In addition, a talent development opportunity will become available for participants to shadow the creation of the mural.

“We are passionate about getting the community involved,” says Jeff. “What’s really unique about the programme is the Street Art Academy focused on skills development and capacity building. 

“AOP would love to hear from the local community and will be arranging a celebration event following the installation of the mural and benches with details to follow. If you have any queries, please get in touch with workshop.aopprojects@gmail.com.”

York’s indie galleries are ready for end-of-lockdown green light for Christmas

Proprietor and curator Craig Humble outside the new home of the Art Of Protest gallery in Walmgate, York

YORK’S independent art galleries are ready to reopen for business as soon as Government guidelines allow, asserts According To McGee director Greg McGee.

“The most accurate litmus test of a city’s cultural health is the amount and state of its indies,” says Greg, “And going by that gauge, the city is culturally doing fine, despite the most challenging year in living memory.” 

Culture being consigned to quarantine for the majority of 2020 means creative outlets have been forced back to the drawing board. “But now they await the moment when they can resume doing what they do best: celebrating unique, idiosyncratic items,” says Greg.

Art Of Protest gallery director Craig Humble concurs: “There are over a dozen of us, and, as varied as we are, we add a crucial element to the city-centre experience. I’m sure I speak for the rest of my contemporaries when I can confidently say we are doubly committed to bringing top-quality art to the browsing and buying public.”

Although the doors are closed at his gallery, newly relocated to Walmgate, Craig has not stopped working. “All the galleries in York are available now for enquiries and website sales. We are all of us often working in the galleries or on our computers, closely monitoring incoming questions and requests. Click and Collect pertains to independent galleries too.”

At present filling his gallery walls with Richard Barnes’s new works of York and the North York Moors, Greg wants to assure collectors and buyers that the art and crafts available for purchase will make for ideal gifts and stocking fillers.

“We can never rival the mainstream behemoths that have continued to churn through sale and demand, even in the middle of lockdown,” he says. “But there’s an undeniable magic in visiting indie galleries.

“The customer knows that the financial transaction will benefit the city directly, and the individuality of the items purchased makes for more memorable gifts.”

“There’s an undeniable magic in visiting indie galleries,” says According To McGee co-director Greg McGee

Craig believes the enjoyment of mooching on the streets of York and experiencing independent galleries, either coming across them by chance or intentionally making a visit, is a key part of the value of galleries.

“No-one wants a city centre that has been given over solely to the most mainstream outlets,” he argues. “In that sense, Indie York, who have helped us on social media and on their increasingly important maps, have brought awareness to this issue for years.”

Sara Amil-Smith, of Indie York, says: “York has a vibrant and diverse mix of long established, independently owned galleries, offering traditional and contemporary work. These galleries often collaborate and have good relationships with local makers and artists. 

“When you support a local gallery, you are supporting a wider community of local artists and makers, which is particularly important during these challenging times.” 

Greg points to the groundswell of support found for the galleries on social media and in the houses of the patrons who support them. “The list is growing: Art Of Protest; Blossom Street Gallery; Blue Tree Gallery; Braithwaite Gallery; Corner Gallery; The Crescent community venue; Gillygate Framing; Holgate Gallery; Janette Ray Booksellers; Kentmere House Gallery; Lotte Inch Gallery; Pyramid Gallery; The Hilt, and According To McGee,” he says.

“If we can ask people who love art and are passionate about starting or augmenting a collection, please wait until the doors of these galleries open again in December or take advantage of the online experience and make queries or make purchases.”

Greg continues: “Every gallery director I know is keeping on top of the online requests and sales that are coming in. Culture is just as open to the click-and-collect experience as anything else.

“There’s something for everyone; you will genuinely be helping to maintain the local cultural economy, and York will be one more step away from subscribing to the anonymity that has bled other cities dry. The best place to start is to grab an Indie York map. See you on the trail!”