Urban Art Lights Up Holgate Street Scene

Local resident and renowned artist Tom Jackson of Wood Street Walls, who was introduced to Holgate Ward Councillor Jenny Kent by York Central’s Cultural Strategy Lead, Helen Marriage, worked with five local primary schools to decorate utility boxes along the routes children use to walk to school.

Around 120 children, including Year 4 pupils at Acomb, St Paul’s, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and Poppleton Road, plus Year 1 and 2 pupils at St Barnabas, completed a questionnaire about the local area, before designing artworks that celebrate local landmarks and wildlife. These include Severus Hill Water Tower, Holgate Windmill, York’s railway heritage, the River Ouse, the tansy beetle, the fox and York’s Clifford Tower and Minster.

A Councillor’s Vision

 

Cllr Kent, who spearheaded the project, said: “We are so delighted with this project. I have wanted to cheer up the Holgate street scene and do something with utility boxes for ages and really wanted to involve our young people in the design if possible.

 

“As City of York councillors, we have a small amount of ward funding each year to support our most vulnerable residents and community projects. We decided to put the funding towards community placemaking. The aim was to encourage art, community involvement, a sense of pride in the place we live, and bring joy. The results have absolutely smashed our expectations.”

 

While Cllr Kent had some local contacts, she had not previously engaged communities in co-design work. As part of ongoing cultural engagement discussions, she approached York Central’s Helen Marriage for suggestions. Helen immediately suggested local parent and legendary street artist Tom Jackson.

Bringing the Designs to Life

 

Originally from Scarborough and now living in Holgate’s neighbouring Acomb ward, Tom has spent 20 years working on community art projects across the UK and internationally.

 

He returned to live in York after the pandemic and his two children have both attended Acomb Primary. He was keen to support the project, adding: “I genuinely believe art changes areas and I want to help improve the areas where we live. Community art makes people happier and I want friends and family to benefit from the kids’ imagination. This project was about the children learning about the local area, creating a trail that people can follow, and people being proud of where they live.”

 

Although Holgate isn’t heavily affected by graffiti, evidence shows that commissioned public artworks and well-maintained street furniture not only improve the local landscape but also deter graffiti.

About Wood Street Walls

 

Wood Street Walls is a London-based organisation working to empower local communities and artists in public spaces. Together with an in-house team of artists and creative professionals, they curate street art, coordinate events and run an artist workspace in Walthamstow, London. Since forming over ten years ago, they have helped facilitate and curate more than 200 murals across London, the wider UK and internationally using art and creativity to highlight key social issues.