Local students produce graffiti works in IGMT project

On Thursday 3 July, students from Telford College of Arts and Technology visited Coalbrookdale in the second phase of a graffiti project led by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) and funded by Historic England.

Earlier this year, the Trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, was awarded an Everyday Heritage Grant by Historic England. Everyday Heritage Grants are awarded for projects that celebrate working class histories and the historic places that make up everyday life. 

For the IGMT project, sixth-form students from Telford College are working with the Trust and local graffiti artist Neil Willis to create graffiti works inspired by the everyday working lives of people in the Ironbridge Gorge.

In the first phase of the project, between January and April,13 students, aged 16 to 18, visited Blists Hill Victorian Town, Coalport China Museum and Jackfield Tile Museum to learn about the history of the buildings and the working people associated with them. Last week’s session was the beginning of the next stage of the project, in which the students are learning how to graffiti with artist Neil Willis. The culmination of the project will be an event on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August in Coalbrookdale at which the students will collaborate in groups to produce three large-scale work of graffiti, one representing each of the three museums they have visited. The public will be able to watch them at work. 

Andrea Nelson, Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We know that young people often think of museums as historical, old fashioned and not for them. At the Trust we are working to help them see this isn’t the case and show them how they can connect the past to the present. We are grateful to Historic England for the Everyday Heritage Grant that has made this project possible. As well as them having unprecedented access to museum staff and the collections, we have been able to help the young people learn new skills and empower them to work autonomously and creatively to share stories they want to tell.”

Kyla Hislop, Acting Head of Interpretation at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “The stories of the ironmasters and business owners in the Ironbridge Gorge are well-known while people know little of the working classes and their lives here. It is fantastic to have received the everyday Heritage Grant from Historic England to help us explore the stories of working people.” 

To coincide with the event, the Trust will also be displaying works by local artists including the painters and signwriters working at the Trust’s Blists Hill Victorian Town museum and the graffiti works produced by the students as they have honed their skills. Caribbean food will also be available to buy, provided by Lola's Kitchen.

Visitors can see the students at work and enjoy the art displays in the Covered Bays at Coalbrookdale (next to Enginuity), from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August. 

Find out more about the event here.