A public consultation has been launched into plans for a mural on a graffiti-daubed wall at St Bartholomew’s Primary School in Armley.
As previously reported by WLD, Inkwell Arts (Leeds Mind) is planning the mural along with a wellbeing garden for pupils with special educational needs at Castleton Primary School and Leeds Baby Bank workshops and outreach in the Armley area.
The project, which is being funded by the Co-op, has Armley artist Claire Jagger on board, and it’s planned for the long school wall overlooking busy Tong Road. The artist created one of the colourful internal murals at the new young people’s mental health facility at St Mary’s Hospital and her work is currently part of an exhibition at Freedom Mills, off Kirkstall Road.
A consultation document circulated by Inkwell says the idea is to bring people together to create something beautiful. It states: “Claire uses masonry paint for her murals, which is then fixed with a long-lasting top-coat to help prevent general wear and tear/weathering.
“The space we would like to brighten up is a long wall, overlooking Tong Road. A school staff member initially told us about this space and asked us to make use of it. We have written permission and full buy-in from the school. But now, we would like to hear from you.
“Claire and our experienced Inkwell art facilitators will run mark-making workshops with the school and local organisations, such as Armley Helping Hands and Aspire. The work created in the sessions will influence the final design of the mural. This allows the community to feel they have ownership over the mural, and have been able to contribute to the overall project.
“We will also be recruiting local volunteers to assist with the painting and general maintenance/upkeep of the mural itself, including in the event of vandalism.
“We would like to help demonstrate community resilience post-Covid, encouraging locals to come together to create something beautiful that the area can feel proud of. The impact on those involved in designing and maintaining the project will be huge, especially for individuals with poor mental health.
“Without the voices of the local community, projects such as this can’t always go ahead, so we’d love to get your feedback.”
E-mail your views on having a mural at St Bartholomew’s to inkwell@leedsmind.org.uk.
