The second mural in the Warwickshire County Council Blank Canvas project has now been completed at Pageant Garden in Warwick.
The mural was designed by Stratford-based artist Ali Glover in collaboration with a group of pupils who attend the Packmores Community Centre tutoring sessions.
Blank Canvas is a community art project, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via Warwickshire County Council. This is the second of ten murals which will be installed in locations around the county, each reflecting the place they are in, and containing a Warwickshire Bear. Each piece is designed by a local artist working with a local community group, so that voices of the community are captured in the process.
The children at Packmores Community Centre wanted the Warwick mural to reflect the natural world, with flowers and animals forming the setting. They wanted to create a piece which made people feel happy, and reflected kindness, fun, and learning – which is why the bear is reading on the swing! The use of colour was important in the design, and Ali sought to reflect the brightness of the children’s own drawings in the colour palette she used throughout the piece. And of course, it wouldn’t be Warwick without the Castle in the background! The mural’s location in the Pageant Garden is a perfect setting for this bright and joyful design, reflecting the flowers in the garden itself, and its proximity to the Castle.
Ali, who also leads Make Murals and Workshops CIC added:
"I'm really pleased to be involved in this project and particularly enjoyed translating the children's wonderfully creative ideas into the design. It was a pleasure to work in the Gardens, connecting with locals and visitors who shared their stories and experiences. Being able to talk to people about the work as it was being done made the project feel like a part of the community, and it's a fantastic testament to the children's creativity that their ideas resonated so well with the public."
Mark Ryder, Executive Director for Communities at Warwickshire County Council, said:
“Blank Canvas is a great project for our towns, creating artwork representative of the local community and adding vibrancy to our town centres. It's great to see these projects in our town centres, helping to create areas of interest and bring people into the towns to see how their community has been captured and using this as a chance to discover more within the local area.”
Councillor Ella Billiald, Portfolio Holder for Arts, Culture and Economy at Warwick District Council said:
“This artwork is an exciting addition to the Pageant Garden and a great example of how art and creativity can bring communities together. Projects like Blank Canvas give local children the chance to have a voice in shaping the places they care about.”
Suzette Agard, from the Packmores Community Centre commented:
“The children of our Core Success afterschool club for 8–11-year-olds, were thrilled to be involved in the design of such a prominent mural. Through term time the children enjoy weekly tutored sessions at the Packmores Community Centre, focusing on literacy and numeracy and rounded off by a delicious hot meal. This workshop was a wonderful opportunity for them to nurture their creativity and explore their idea of community. Asked to suggest what Warwick really means to them, the children fully engaged with the brief, putting their individual ideas to a special neon paper card. Each of the children recognised an element of their own ideas in the finished design and took real pride in this. The only problem now is that they keep asking to do it again!”
Try to take a little break in the garden to have a look next time you are in Warwick – and keep an eye on our website for more murals coming soon!