New giant community mural is being painted in Gloucester

A colourful mural made up of individual bricks hand-painted by the local community is being created in Gloucester in 2024, as part of a project to create lasting artworks that represent the city's collective identity.

By Jake Chown | Published Thursday 18 July 2024

The finished mural on Westgate Street, comprised of bricks painted by the community, will be coated in a hard-wearing varnish that will protect it from the elements and graffiti tagging.

A community art project expressing Gloucester's unique collective identity is being created in the city centre in 2024.

A giant mural made up of hundreds of individually painted bricks will be created on the wall of a tunnel on Fountain Square in Westgate Street, leading into the Gloucester City Homes estate opposite The Folk of Gloucester museum.

The project invites local people to express their individuality by hand-painting a brick in the wall, which will be protected with weatherproof varnish once it's complete to ensure its longevity.

Additionally, a huge wooden mandala made up of tiny paintings on wooden disks is being created at St Mary de Crypt Church, as an opportunity for those who can't physically access the brick project to record their identity in a permanent piece of artwork.

It is the latest initiative from Bristol-based social enterprise The Brick Project, which has led the creation of countless similar community art projects across the UK and abroad.

The Westgate Street project is being delivered with local partners Gloucester City Homes, Inclusion Gloucester, Folk of Gloucester, All Nations Community Centre, The Raven Centre, Gloucester Cathedral, The Railway Garden and St Mary de Crypt, with funding from Arts Council England and Barnwood Trust.

'Absolutely everyone' is invited to paint and there is 'no such thing as bad painting', the project team says, with all materials provided and a series of events being held across the summer and autumn — including introductory events on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 July 2024 — where the community can get involved.

The Brick Project is also recruiting local 'creative freelancers' to help facilitate the brick mural painting, which will take place in two parts from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 September 2024 and Wednesday 2 to Thursday 17 October 2024.

To find out more about the project and how you can get involved, visit The Brick Project website.