In Hemsworth, Douglas Black talked with more than 80 people before painting Lighting the Lanes, a series of walls around the library full of light and colour. In Mosley Common, Aylo and Seca One found that what stood out was the kindness of neighbours, and the mural reflects that. In Castleford, Cbloxx held a mini residency and workshops with local people, while Emmeline North ran a pub quiz about the town which inspired colour, form and a new poem for Tickle Cock Bridge.

Local stories shape the imagery too. In Normanton, Harriet Colours worked with infant school children, coffee mornings and the library friends group on The Normanton Junction, a tribute to the town’s rail history and the lupins that once grew along the sidings. In Chesterfield, Peachzz painted Local, a market-inspired mural built from stories gathered from traders, a school and a drop-in session. In Wakefield, Boa Mistura’s Dreamers Unite was a temporary wall of colour made with more than 200 local people.

In South Elmsall a young roe deer is placed among flowers, honouring the town’s mining past and its young people. In Goldthorpe, STATIC drew on the stories of the Dearne Valley for a library mural, and invited people to a ‘community paint day’.

Not every 2D artwork is painted. In Dewsbury, Saba Rifat’s Tessella uses over 3,000 bespoke tiles and Lenny & Whale’s Tapestries is built from portraits of people in the town centre. In Ossett, Shiraaz Ali’s Welcome to Ossett uses window-shaped panels to greet people to the town.

Guiding good practice, Beam developed Wakefield’s ‘Guide to Developing Murals & 2D Artwork’ with Emmeline North and stakeholders, offering practical guidance on commissioning a mural from first idea to finished artwork.

We develop skills through community participation, artist talks and mentoring.

#Beam40 #PublicArt #Murals #Community #PublicRealm

Header image credit: Cbloxx with assistant artist Nat Hues and mentee Rebecca Feneley, Castleford © Nicholas Singleton.