Grimsby mural to celebrate fishing heritage
14th July 2022
A new mural depicting the town’s fishing history is underway in Grimsby, reports Brian W Lavery.
Hull-based artist Andy Pea – the man behind many of that city’s murals – was chosen to create the new artwork, which got underway late last month.
The Hessle Road mural ‘The Net Mender’.
Part of a project called ‘Paint the Town Proud’, it is hoped it will be completed by the end of this month.
The project has plans for a number of large-scale murals in the town centre, with indoor and outdoor community murals. There are also plans for ‘digital- augmented reality experiences’, accompanied by built-in soundscapes.
Working together with The Culture House, Grimsby, Creative Start CIC set up the programme – funded by Arts Council England – to ‘transform Grimsby into a vibrant town centre where heritage and creativity are enjoyed’.
Paint the Town Proud will also provide opportunities for local talent to work alongside national artists.
The first Grimsby mural will be on the gable end of the Little Oaks children’s nursery on the town’s Commercial Road.
Artist Andy Pea told Fishing News: “I was honoured to be asked to take part. They got in touch because of my involvement with the Hull murals. I am so enjoying this solo project.”
Hull-based artist Andy Pea has been chosen to create the new artwork.
The artist has designed or taken part in all the fishing-themed murals in his native city, which started with the Headscarf Revolutionaries mural, which was brought about by BBC’s The One Show and created by the internationally acclaimed Northern Irish mural artist Mark Ervine.
“Mark and I became good friends. I worked with him on the Headscarf Revolutionaries mural, and then I went on to design and work on others across Hull – mainly in the Hessle Road area,” said Andy Pea.
The Hessle Road murals are now attracting visitors to the former fishing area of the city.
It is hoped the new Grimsby mural will spark a series of similar works across the Lincolnshire port town.
Paint the Town Proud project manager Becky Darnell said: “We’re really hoping to be able to share our pride for the town and celebrate our world-famous heritage in new and exciting ways, reflecting and capturing people’s memories.
“We’d like to be able to bring the past to life in a way and present it to new audiences.
“We have a lead creative team of artists who will be looking to work with other creatives, and welcome anyone from the community to get involved.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
