FROM Comber to Holywood, local people are being urged to have their say on a colourful art scheme set to transform 20 utility cabinets into vibrant canvases.
The council has appointed Boom Studios, a social enterprise and creative hub based in Bangor, to deliver the creative canvas project across the borough.
Local artists Richard Kerrigan, known as RickyDrewAPiccie, and Christopher McGuigan, known as CODO Art, are getting the project started this month with two Main Street sites in Bangor city centre. Their vibrant designs have been inspired by the coastal city and are just the beginning of a borough-wide initiative to transform utility cabinets into works of art.
The project team is inviting residents to help shape the final designs of the remaining cabinets by attending upcoming public engagement sessions: on Wednesday, January 21 a session will be held at Comber Library from 10am to 12pm and Holywood Library from 2pm to 4pm.
Further sessions will be held on Thursday, January 22, at Newtownards Library from 3pm to 5pm and Bangor Carnegie Library from 5pm to 7pm.
A Boom Studios spokesperson said: “Come along, share your ideas, and be part of this exciting community project that’s set to brighten and support our thriving High Streets.
“Alongside a series of public engagement events, local artists will be chosen through an expression of interest and commissioning process. Once selected, they’ll receive training and support to bring their vision to life on one of the designated utility cabinets across the borough.”
She said: “Community involvement is at the heart of the project, with a proposed ‘Cabinet Guardian’ scheme inviting local groups or businesses near the cabinets to adopt and care for the artworks, helping to reduce graffiti.
“Additional plans include a coordinator-led volunteer programme forming an ‘Artist Support Crew’, as well as collaboration with SERC students to document the project.”
Funded by the Department for Communities this street art initiative will celebrate arts and heritage, upskill local artists and provide volunteering opportunities.
