An exciting and eclectic array of unique artwork set to pop up across the Bradford district

Bradford Council is partnering with local artists, event organisers and businesses to stage a series of colourful street art and entertaining free events to encourage people to rediscover the district’s town and neighbourhood high streets.

The council has commissioned lots of local artists to create an exciting and eclectic array of unique artwork which will be popping up across the district over the next few months as part of their Spring Back 2022 campaign.

OutLOUD and The United Art Project are working with local artists and residents to design and paint a unique and eye-catching community mural, across several shutters and walls to brighten up a parade of shops on Broadstone Way in Holmewood. The Paint on the Parade project celebrates the community of Holmewood and includes representations of iconic Holmewoodian structures, places, sayings, images and memories from the past decades and the current community.

In Windhill, Shipley the Armchair Artists Collective have decorated three concrete street bollards transforming them in to beautiful paintings showing the natural world from different perspectives in a project called A Closer View. The bollards are on Leeds Road in Windhill outside the parade of shops including Windhill Post Office.

Trapezium Arts and documentary photographer Cath Muldowney is joining forces to bring high quality and eye-catching photographic portraits to vacant shopfronts in Great Horton, Wibsey and Queensbury. The Streets Ahead project features faces from local businesses, community groups and residents who live, work and play in the areas in a tableau highlighting the positive human qualities of local people and the district’s distinctive cultural identity. These stunning photographs are a modern interpretation of ‘tronies’ – a style of old-fashioned portraiture.

Artist Pete Olding will lead a team of artists to create temporary artworks on the streets of Ilkley town centre. The team will paint ‘live’ in the street while engaging people with the process. Images will be figurative, vibrant and colourful and incorporate poems created in workshops held locally. Pete’s team will be painting at The Grove market area on Friday 18 March, at Ilkley Band Stand on Saturday 19 March, a window in the foyer area of the public toilets in Ilkley’s central car park on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 March. The painting on the 26 March will be part of the Ilkley Family Takeover event which is also part of the Spring Back 2022 campaign.

People Powered Paste-Ups will create a paste-up gallery of public poetry and prose including three giant murals all created and hand-printed on the People Powered Press, the world’s largest printing press of its kind, which is based in Saltaire. The artwork will be located on Lord Street in Keighley town centre and will be created by and for the people of Keighley.

As well as the district wide artwork the Spring Back 2022 campaign also includes six events in towns across the district throughout March. Shipley Sup beer festival was the first event on Saturday 12 March. The events coming up are another beer festival Bingley (19 March), a witches and wizards event in Haworth (19 March), an event taking a nostalgic look at the high street in Keighley – K-Town Shopper 26 and 27 March, Ilkley Family Takeover day 26 March and Wibsey Fair (26 March).

Bradford Council also organised for the market squares in both Shipley and Bingley to be jet-washed in the run up to their events. Extra litter bins and benches and other street furniture will also be installed.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “This fantastic street art and series of events are designed to reconnect people with the places they love. I’m delighted that we have been able to commission local creatives to work with people from local communities, organisations and businesses on these colourful and beautiful pieces.”

Lauren from OutLOUD, said: “We’re really enjoying working with local communities on our project in Holmewood and are grateful to Bradford Council for the opportunity to get involved in the Spring Back 2022 campaign. We hope local residents appreciate the work that has gone in to the murals.”

Sand from Armchair Artists Collective, said: “Working on the bollards on Leeds Road in Windhill provided us with unique and interesting challenges. It’s been a great project to transform them in to beautiful paintings. We appreciate the freedom that Bradford Council have given us with this project and we hope all those who get to see them enjoy them.”

Spring Back 2022 has been made possible thanks to the Welcome Back Fund, which is funding from the England European Regional Development Fund. For more information, visit www.visitbradford.com/SpringBack2022

The Bradford district is currently one of eight longlisted places in the running to be the next UK City of Culture 2025, to find out more about the bid visit www.bradford2025.co.uk or follow on social media at @Bradford2025 or #Bradford2025