People of our city; Reflections from Bangor's Young People
Bangor's Art Mural Project
The artist Catrin Williams was recently appointed to lead a community art project entitled ‘People of Our City’ to be held in partnership between Pontio, Bangor University and the Gwynedd Arts Forum. The aim is to create a large mural created by young people to be displayed on the wooden hoardings surrounding the building site of the new Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre in Bangor. During the past month Catrin has been working with Nia Owen, Bangor Secondary Schools Youth Officer on a series of art workshops at Ysgol Tryfan and at the Maesgeirchen Youth Centre. The design, which is near it’s completion, includes a collection of portraits of those who created the artwork as well as people who are important to them, their friends and family… and one or two other famous characters!
Ysgol Tryfan pupils working on their mural.
These workshops have offered valuable opportunities for the young people e.g. opportunities to socialize, to work as part of a team as well as the chance to practice their creative skills. By participating in this project the young people will work towards a variety of qualifications.. Nia Owen, Bangor Secondary Schools Youth Officer explains.
“It has been a pleasure to see the young people develop during the workshops. Their art skills have improved and it will be fantastic to see the fruits of their labor on display in such a prominent location in the City.”
The work will soon be placed on the building site hoardings, facing the busy Deiniol Road, where hundreds of people will pass daily whilst travelling in and out of Bangor. A deserving space for the creative art which will not only draw the public’s attention to the exciting possibilities of the new building rising behind, but will also offer the Youth of Bangor’s unique, colourful, comical and serious perspective on themselves and the City in which they inhabit.
The People of Our City mural will be unveiled in a fulfilled ceremony on Thursday Morning, 8 December 2010, in the company of the artist, project assistants and all the young people involved in the project. In addition representation from all the bodies who supported the project will be present. The exact details will be announced nearer the event. Representatives from the press and media are welcome to attend the event.
The project has been funded by the Gwynedd Arts Forum, Gwynedd Council, Bangor University and the Arts Council of Wales.
http://www.pontio.co.uk/en/home.php
Publication date: 19 November 2010