Students from Ormiston Six Village Academy have unveiled a massive (40m) new mural along with dynamic new signs for local bins, as part of a project they have designed to increase respect for the natural world in their area.    

Developed with input from the whole school community, the project supported a number of students in Years 8 – 10 to work with two commissioned artists – selected by them – to create art interventions in the school’s local Westergate village intended to inspire greater respect for the natural world locally.  After initial sessions with photographic artist Lindsey Smith (https://lindseysmith.net/workshops-projects/) and local campaign organisation Sussex Green Living (https://www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk) to develop their priorities,  young people chose to focus on increasing community respect for the local natural world, and reminding the community – and local students -  to decrease littering.   

They selected illustration artist Angelina Kovacevic to work with them exploring different ways artistic projects could increase awareness of the value of local nature.  Their design work created creature characters based on animals that share habitat across the six villages of the school’s catchment, which were adapted to feature on the mural wall and on individual vinyls designs that have been installed on over 30 bins in the school and village, produced by Sussex Signs.  They then collaborated with local mural artists Wild City UK (https://www.wild-city.uk)  and Aldingbourne Parish Council to produce and instal the mural on a large walls donated by Aldingbourne Shooting Club in a prominent position across the edge of the football pitches next to Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre.  Battling unseasonable weather this early summer, local people helped with the final instal, in a community action day organised by Wild City UK.

In July, the mural was officially opened by The Chair of Arun District Council, Jill Long, with local Green Councillor Sue Wallsgrove and representatives from the Parish Council, school and Community Sports Centre. 

The project is part of Artswork’s Young Cultural Changemakers programme, which supports young people to design creative interventions to benefit their communities, working with professional artists.  Partcipants develop transferable skills in Leadership, Community Voice, Youth Voic and Teamwork as they realise the projects they’ve designed.  Beccy East, Artswork’s Creative Producer in Arun commented: ‘In Westergate, where the impact of multiple local housing developments on local green spaces has been keenly felt, the project is an inspiring illustration of just how much care young people have for their environment and the impact their creative work is capable of.’      

All images credited to GS Creative Photography