By Paint the Town Proud redecorates Grimsby in a new image
The streets of Grimsby are coming to life with vibrant artwork celebrating local heritage as part of the Paint the Town Proud project.
Colourful scenes of fishing heritage, legendary sporting moments and the history of the high street are all being created as part of the 18-month project by Grimsby Creates who aim to ‘transform Grimsby into a vibrant town centre where heritage and creativity are enjoyed’.
Led by local not for profit organisation Creative Start CIC, this collaborative project has already seen local and regional artists coming together to produce a series of artwork, podcasts, documentaries, and large-scale murals.
“Community art has always been a valuable part of our programme. I’ve really enjoyed seeing our members working alongside established artists and being involved in these large-scale mural projects. It not only helps build their skill set, confidence and self-worth but also proves that art is for everyone.” Artist and Founder of Creative Start CIC, Sam Delaney.
“It’s also been great to see artists that haven’t worked on murals before, having the opportunity to challenge themselves on their own murals, such as local artist Kevin Atkins, who we worked closely with on our first mural celebrating the heritage of Grimsby Town Football Club at the entrance of the Fanzone. It’s been an honour and a pleasure for us all at Creative Start to help play our part in helping promote pride in the town, through art.”
The second of the large scales murals entitled ‘Racing the Wind’ depicts the true tale of a trawlerman’s endangered journey back to shore. The striking painting, by Hull based community Artist and Muralist Andy Pea, sits on the gable end of Little Oaks Nursery building on Corporation Road. Andy says “the response from the community has been phenomenal. I’ve had so many people stopping by to tell their stories and shake my hand”
“We’ve had such a positive response to our community creative days, with families coming down to ‘make their mark’ and spray paint a fish onto the wall, it’s really special.”
The next phase of the project will see International Muralist and Illustrator Jake Klone transforming a town centre space in mid-August. Jake has been painting all over the world for many years and has a reputation for his detailed and colourful designs.
Throughout the project, the team have been hosting community consultations and the response and support from people of all ages has been notably encouraging.
“It’s just what Grimsby needs”
“I am happy about it, it’s really important for the community and visitors to know, learn and see the history and achievements of the town.”
“It reminds me of bigger cities and their own celebrations of culture and heritage. It brings a lot of much needed colour to grey areas of the town and is very uplifting.”
“It’s an important part of raising aspirations and increasing the cultural capital in the area. Local heritage is what inspires the future generations.”
Find out more about the project and follow its progress at www.paintthetownproud.com
