Our Art Neighbourhood brings the community together
Two giant billboards showcasing the artistic talents of local residents have been revealed this week as part of a celebration of local community spirit in Leigh.
The billboards on Atherleigh Way and Chadwick Street mark the end of Our Art Neighburhood, an exciting summer-long arts initiative organised by Leigh Neighbours, the community-led lottery funded project which aims to address issues of social deprivation and community cohesion in an area of west Leigh.
In addition to the billboards, areas across the town have been transformed by textile features, including crocheted squares sewn together to form attractive decoration on street furniture as well as pom-poms hanging from trees and other structures, all completed as part of a novel yarn bombing trail.
Altogether, Our Art Neighbourhood saw local residents and school children take part in more than 300 hours of creative workshops, including urban graffiti art, digital photography and textile sculpture.
Martyn Lucas (pictured second from left) who managed the project says: “We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the way the local community has embraced the project and how it’s generated such a wealth of passion and enthusiasm. The feedback from the series of workshops was incredibly positive and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to repeat the project again next year.”
In addition to catching sight of either of the two billboards, local residents are also invited to pop along to the temporary art installation at 4-6 Market Street, where there’s an opportunity to see some of the work from the artists who led the workshops, as well as a chance to meet them. A video featuring sequences filmed at various summer workshops is also available to view at the exhibition.
Susan Gredecki, joint chair of Leigh Neighbours says: “Our Art Neighbourhood sums up what Leigh Neighbours is all about: people coming together, sharing experiences, celebrating local community spirit. It’s a huge success, not only for those who took part helping to create these exciting canvases, but also for Leigh as a whole. We should all be immensely proud of this shared effort.”
Our Art Neighbourhood was produced in partnership with the Arts Council of England.
