Discussion Forum

Community Art Projects and Murals

As part of the forum we are conducting a nationwide survey into the success of Community Art Projects and Murals. We want to hear your thoughts and experiences on their success and the lasting results of the art projects in your area. Below are some examples of projects that have been implemented since 2000.

Feedback from Hockley Neighbourhood Policing Team, Rochford District Council in September 2006

Hockley is a very low crime, affluent area of Essex. It did however receive more than a fair share of damage by graffiti and tagging. Police spent many hours gathering intelligence, performing arrests and searches to get these offenders to court. During the time with the offenders, it was obvious they have a great talent. We asked them why they tag? It is their hobby. Mine is kicking a football, but that is not illegal. Why should their hobby be illegal? It was obvious we would never beat these offenders so as the saying goes, "if you can't beat them..." Hockley police and Rochford District Council joined forces to provide a wall and paint. The wall was a cricket pavilion in a very busy sports centre. Essex Youth Services provided an artist and we invited along our main graffiti offenders. The walls have been a success not only providing an attractive cricket theme Spray can art mural, but a talking point amongst the Community. Reports of crime by graffiti have dropped to zero. The offenders are frustrated they cannot show off their work, so resort to tagging to get their notoriety. Yes we could spend thousands of pounds cleaning it off, but why not lets make these areas attractive. The possibilities are endless and space is not so hard to find as you think. Industrial estates for example. The artists are more than willing to do work displaying company logo's on walls, skip bins and even lorries. Parks and skate parks. Even railways and shopping areas. The art can be impactive messages such as 'kill your speed' or 'stop racism.' The artists have a lot to offer. Give them a chance and watch the reports of crime by graffiti fall.

Response from GraffitiHotline

Thank you very much for your e-mail. I have found it very interesting and it may well prove to be a valuable example for councils across the country.
We have received many e-mails from Art project schemes whereby youths take part to create murals in the hope of getting them to take pride in their environment. We have also received many e-mails objecting to this type of project on the grounds that they find the content and style of the work agressive and as bad as illegal graffiti. More support was given to art projects which were not in the typical 'graffiti style', for example, murals undertaken by primary schools. We are trying to create some 'Golden Rules' in the use of murals and public art as a means to reduce graffit and if possible, solutions that are acceptable to all.
Your e-mail states that the reports of graffiti in some areas have dropped to zero. Do you have any more inforamtion and photos on what has been achieved and are you able to provide any more informaiton on the levels of graffiti before and after the project. Also, are there any objections from locals who do not like seeing the murals? Many thanks for your help.

News from Sheffield in September 2006

PROPOSALS for a graffiti wall in Sheffield have been rubbed out by council chiefs who fear it will give out the wrong impression.

Councillors from all parties looked at whether to have a designated wall in the city which graffiti artists and taggers could spray on without fear of being prosecuted. But council chiefs have rejected the idea because they say it would give the wrong message.

The neighbourhoods scrutiny board has published a detailed report on all kinds of graffiti, fly posting and tagging issues in the city. Six councillors and officers worked on the report, called The Writing on the Wall, over an eight month period and visited other cities to see how they tackle the problem.

Chairman of the scrutiny board, said: "The working group considered everything from a zero tolerance approach, which was supported by the majority of the public in a survey, right through to having some degree of tolerance in specific areas." Got an opinion?

For more information click here

Feedback from Aberdeen Council in September 2006

I have found that where murals have been painted on the unit shuttering in the shopping centre it has been well respected & has lasted without being sprayed for years. The murals were done with the assistance of a professional who guided the young people with regard to how they should achieve their ideas but was their project.

Feedback from East Devon Council in September 2006

Youth Consultation with a difference! Organised by the Arts Dept. at East Devon District Council, this event was part of the Councils wider consultation plans. Young people were given the chance to get together in a safe environment take part in a well organised competition, listen to local youth bands and drop in to the free Graffiti workshop. Professional Graffiti artist Mark Alford from Exeter was employed to help the street artists taking part to develop their style without breaking the law. 67 linear metres of boarding was erected against the Skate Park railings to provide a permanent exhibition space for the local young people. A team of video professionals was also employed to gather opinion from a wide range of attendees, we wanted young people to be given the chance to tell us what they think about play and life in general in East Devon. The opinions gathered will be used to inform future policy and practice across the area to ensure that the Council keep the ideas of its young people at the forefront of everything that it does. The Street Art element of the day provided a wonderful focus for the young people's enthusiasm and showed just how they can respond to an artistic challenge. We would love to do it again, perhaps in another area of East Devon with the young people themselves taking over a large part of the organisation.

Feedback from South Hams District Council in September 2006

"My suggestion is that each town/city/big village should provide several metres of wall or boarding for graffiti artists. Ideally, those wishing to use the space provided should form a committee that would be responsible for organising:
-a. competitions
-b. decisions on what should be preserved for (for example) the next month
-c painting over stuff that had been exhibited
The local councils and/or youth clubs could help out by overseeing the operation in each community To my certain knowledge, young people will use available space even when it is provided by an authority. Moreover, they are expert at assessing graffiti and ready to learn from each other. I see the graffiti movement as a given opportunity for local authorities to harness the energy and the opinions of our essential young people."

Feedback from Maidstone Council in September 2006

"Maidstone Borough Council has looked at educating young people in an attempt to deal with tagging. I'd like to point out the difference between 'tagging' which is writing slogans & names in public places as opposed to graffiti art which is an art form and the majority of graffiti artists do not deface pubic property to showcase their art. Maidstone Borough Council has contracted a professional local graffiti artist (who trained at art college to perfect his technique) to work with young people on targeted estates to teach them graffiti art and to teach them to respect public property. Having the right role model to interact with the young people is imperative to the success of such projects. Four years on, graffiti has stopped in the 2 areas targeted, one a play park; one a skateboard park. As a result of these successful projects which we have advertised over the internet, Maidstone Borough Council has been approached by local authorities across the country asking for advice on how to run similar projects in their Boroughs."

Feedback from Test Valley Council in September 2006

"The wall paintings of many hands in the tunnel leading from Waitrose down towards the Pocket Park in Andover which was painted at least 10 years ago has survived amazingly well so far as I have seen and not been defaced by inappropriate graffiti except on a few occasions.
The paintings of racing cars which are in the underpass between Junction road and the Anton River bridge do suffer from defacement by inappropriate "graffiti" on a fairly regular basis. Is there some kind of wall paint that prevents defacement? Objectionable graffiti on walls has been tackled at least in Cricketers Way by special paint. It is not good to see foul language or rude words as a part of one's environment"

Feedback from Solihull Council in September 2006

"Solihull has a splendid scheme where disturbed youngsters are able to use their Graffiti skills to decorate an underpass in Shirley. This is supervised and done to a high standard. Participants get rid of their anger through street art. I have seen the results over twelve months and think that it has been very successful.

"I would commend any similar controlled graffiti as a very good way of discouraging unwanted mess and actively doing good."

Feedback from South Somerset Council in September 2006

"Four villages in my ward. Only one has this problem though. And there the Young People's Parish Council are dealing with it by establishing a dedicated Graffiti Wall at the Recreation Ground."

Feedback from Ealing Council in September 2006

"I'm very interested in ideas to counteract antisocial behaviour. I feel that the roots lie in some sort of alienation and that schools and youth services have to offer activities using an approach that can draw young people in and start to motivate them. Take graffiti, for instance. I've seen some stunning murals along canals and in disused railway stations - unfortunately people don't see graffiti-style murals as art. Do art teachers give any input about graffiti art? Do they take it seriously as an art form - I don't know if it is or not, but if it was, there would be more opportunity for the perpetrators to express their (some might say depraved) angst openly as an art form in a structured environment and maybe less on local walls and buildings. Is this tooo revolutionary to discuss seriously?"

Feedback from Richmond upon Thames Council in September 2006

"Happy with HIGH QUALITY art work/planting etc if it covers space that might otherwise attract graffiti and is in keeping with streetscene and general architectural setting.

"Strongly opposed to any acceptance of graffiti as any form of art or the use of spray paints in any public space or any programme which does not impart that graffiti daubing is selfish and destructive vandalism and deserving of censure."

Feedback from Wolverhampton in September 2006

"Graffiti isn't, never has been, and ever will be, 'art'"

News from Sheffield in September 2006

A NEW graffiti wall dedicated to a Sheffield teenager murdered by his brother has been unveiled by his young pals. James Wiles was stabbed through the heart in February this year by his older brother Carl, who is now serving a life sentence. Friends of the 15-year-old, from Westfield, spent months creating the memorial wall at the John Barnett Youth Centre to ensure their friend's memory lives on.

For more information click here

Feedback from Leeds Council in September 2006

"There are no projects of the kind you mention in my Ward, successful or otherwise. I will look at your website, but I have to say that the involvement of my colleagues and I in graffiti is usually getting it removed from public buildings. I have yet to be convinced of the value of graffiti workshops, some of which have been run by our local Youth Service."

News from Wimbledon in September 2006

Twenty-five enthusiastic green-fingered volunteers began work on August 23 to build a special wall in Leyton Road, Wimbledon, for young people to express themselves through graffiti art.

For more information click here

Feedback from Calderdale Council in August 2006

"With reference to your Community Murals, we do not encourage this and we only have some in an underpass leading to the Police Station, and in liaison with the police we allowed it to stop graffiti and make it reasonable for people to walk through. As soon as any graffiti appears, we remove it."

Feedback from Dundee Council in September 2006

"I object to graffiti official or otherwise."

Feedback from Hull Council in September 2006

"I don't like to see it, you don't see it in well off areas. I think it brings the tone of the area down. It is good on walls that are not public"

Feedback from Maidenhead Council in August 2006

"Many thanks for the e-mail. We try and keep on top of this blight in my Maidenhead ward, but it's a constant battle - especially during holiday times.

"One sadness for me is the constant attacking of a mural on a footbridge. The mural is made up of a montage of children's paintings on the theme 'traveling to school' and helps brighten up a rather dull area. It was put on the footbridge three years ago by a professional artist and a protective coat was placed over it to help keep the graffiti at bay. However, the effectiveness of the coating is starting to wane and the mural is becoming damaged. Any suggestions?"

Response from GraffitiHotline

Thank you for your comments. Permanent graffiti coatings should last for up to ten years, if they are correctly applied, and any graffiti is removed using the correct chemicals and techniques. Once the coating starts to deteriorate, it is very difficult to remove it without damaging the underlying mural. So I am afraid that there is no easy solution.

If you were to repair or replace the mural then try to involve the community and people using the bridge. Generally if they have created it they will look after it.

Could you please e-mail some photographs so we can make any further suggestions.

Response from France in 2006

"France has a terrible graffiti problem, but I saw a very prominent area near the station where young people had obviously been encouraged to do work of a very high quality. The area had no other graffiti, partly because of the pride in seeing their work in such a high profile place. I also think it enabled older people to realise how skillful some graffiti is and enjoy it in a setting where the colourful and dramatic tags were a positive contribution to the environment.

"I'm not too keen on murals that are done by artists who have not engaged with the local young people. The young people have to be the kids that do the graffiti, not some 'good' little primary pupils."

Feedback in August 2006

"Interesting web site that asks questions that some 'community orientated' artists might shy away from.

"As a visual artist who occasionally works within community contexts, I have turned down mural commissions because I've come to recognise that the mural tends to signify 'community deprivation' rather than 'community pride'. Unless the building/surface is either low profile or temporary (or, as is often the case, both), there really is no excuse for a mural.

"If the building lacks integrity...it shouldn't be there! If a building has integrity it will not be enhanced by the addition of a mural (and I saw the best that Leningrad, Moscow and Belfast had to offer)... and If there's one thing more ugly than an ugly building, it's an ugly building with an ugly mural on it!

"Temporary hoardings and graffiti walls are a great idea, external murals painted onto the walls of prominent buildings are a bad idea (- discuss)!

Feedback from Gravesham Council in August 2006

"Graffiti is a criminal offence whether it be by the yob culture or councils (referring to youth projects creating murals). I totally disagree that this kind of vandalism can in some way be classed as 'Art' - it is nothing more than an eyesore"

Response from GraffitiHotline

"Is it Art?" is a question that can create an endless debate as can the proverb "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

We have seen a council funded youth project create a mural on a housing estate and a few days later the same council remove the mural following pressure from residents. We have also seen murals well received by residents and brighten up an otherwise dreary area.

The aim of this survey is to establish if there are any golden rules that can be followed when murals and public art are used to regenerate areas and as a means to successfully control graffiti.

Feedback from Lewes Council in August 2006

"I organised the painting of a badly and persistently graffitied pedestrian footbridge over the railway in Lewes last year; in the main this has very much improved the look of the footbridge. We do have sporadic small graffiti markings but find that if we clean these off the same day it may be a week or two before more appear.

"In the last year we have had only 1 really bad incident when person or persons unknown spray painted almost all of the sections on the bridge with car paint. Thanks to the anti-graffiti paint we managed to remove almost all of the marks.

"Apart from prompt removal of marks, and sometimes going into the local secondary school when the writing appears to identify youngsters from a particular group to see if the culprits can be found and then asked to help remove the markings.

The other things which have helped are involving 24 local groups in designing the panels and the existence of a new graffiti wall in a local park. Mostly I think I should just say well done on cleaning up the bridge etc; and good luck with all the hard work of maintaining it...."

Feedback from Colchester Council in August 2006

"I was involved in delivering a youth project which saw the painting of a mural on the wall of the wall of the Salary Brook subway which goes under the A133. So far there has not been any damage to this. The other subway which joins the Greenstead Estate to Greenstead Road has instead been simply painted and despite the presence of CCTV cameras it continues to suffer from graffiti"

A youth shelter in Wendover that was repainted over a period of five months by a group of young people, had graffiti sprayed on it just days after the work was completed in August 2006. The group of boys worked with a professional street artist to design a mural that reflected the youth in Wendover. "It is quite annoying, as the graffiti is not as good and has spoilt what we did." More info

The Tarner Area Partnership in Brighton commissioned a mural in July 2005. The design of the mural was based on the ideas and drawings of young people and it reflected what they wanted to see in the area. The finished mural was sealed with yacht varnish.

Around 20 young people and three adult volunteers joined in the project that has taken 12 weeks to complete, during which time the mural remained free of tags and unsightly daubings. "When a mural is painted on a wall other graffiti artists respect it. Not only that, they're so bright and colourful it makes them hard to paint over. 'Tags' don't tend to get noticed on the wall next to the mural."