City estates to get 'new image'
Thursday, 11 September 2008
THREE city estates are to get new murals and wall art in a re-imaging programme.
Armagh Council is recruiting artists to deliver the public art projects at Orangefield, Dalton and Drumarg estates, funded by the Arts Council's Re-Imaging Communities Programme.
The district's 14 rural villages will also be included in the project, which is designed to 'encourage the creation of more vibrant and attractive public spaces in Northern Ireland through the use of the creative arts in the public realm'.
Armagh Council's community and economic development manager, Godfrey McCartney, said the re-imaging projects would be a catalyst for community renewal and increased confidence.
“Armagh City and District Council embrace the value of the re-imaging vision, to work together to free the public realm from threat, displays of sectarian aggression and intimidation while allowing for legitimate expressions of cultural celebration.
“The new projects for Armagh, which have been designed following extensive community consultation last year, will create an important and valuable opportunity for local communities to take ownership once again of their public spaces in order to create environments that support, rather than discourage, human engagement and contact.
“The projects at Orangefield, Dalton/Drumarg and the rural villages will send out a message of renewed hope and confidence, that will not only benefit the communities who live there, but send out positive messages to future investors and to those wishing to make the Armagh area their new home."
The estates projects will involve working alongside local communities in the creation of new murals and wall art that explores the themes of play and diversity.
The rural villages project will involve a process of storytelling and creative writing, encouraging rural communities to re-discover the value and uniqueness of rural and village life.
The project will culminate in the planting of a juniper tree in each of the villages, a symbolic act of healing and renewal.
Each tree will have an interpretive panel designed by communities working with a visual artist.
The Re-Imaging Communities Programme encourages communities to re-examine the public images that are used to reflect community values, and to adopt the principles of the 'Shared Future' vision in re-interpreting and re-visioning these images.
The managing consortium includes the Department for Social Development, The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Community Relations Council, the Housing Executive, the International Fund for Ireland and the Arts
Council of Northern Ireland which is the lead agency and the conduit through which the funding is awarded.
Artists wishing to find out more about Armagh's Re-Imaging Communities projects can download project briefs and other documents from www.armagh.gov.uk/tenders/php. The closing date for the receipt of applications is Monday, October 13 at 12pm.
