The brainchild of local artist and entrepreneur Benjamin Kay, Art Fest Nottingham brought together some of Nottingham’s foremost street artists, established and emerging, for a day of creativity, bringing vibrancy and character to the local environment. Under the theme ‘paint is our power’, artists created murals, graffiti and outdoor artworks across the city centre, showcasing a diverse range of ideas and inspirational sources.
Key funding for the festival was provided by It’s in Nottingham, with a great deal of additional support provided by Nottingham City Council and a wide range of other sponsors and supporters.
Benjamin Kay is an artist, creative entrepreneur and co-director of the Carousel, a creative space and collective in Nottingham’s Hockley area. His drive to launch the festival stemmed from taking part in an exhibition after graduating from university, which featured a number of street artists, and from years since spent working in and around the city on various public artworks.
Key artists involved in the festival included Beth Wise, Boaster, Dilk, Fish Fingers Wrapped in Ham, Kid 30, Mr Ray and Scarce, all of whom created remarkable headline pieces to brighten up the city’s streets. In addition, numerous others created smaller pieces as part of a live, open-air exhibition in the city’s new Green Heart area, once occupied by the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, which formed the nucleus of the festival site.
The underlying theme of the festival, ‘paint is our power’ was inspired by Benjamin’s own feelings of pride at having created work within the city and it was hoped that such an ethos could evoke and celebrate the power of art to inspire its audience.
Other talented creatives made their own unique contributions to the festival, including street artist and hip-hop illustrator Emily Catherine, who delivered a fascinating lecture on the history of graffiti as the art of protest; walking artist and founder of Meanderers Amelia Daiz, who offered interactive walking tours of the festival throughout the day, complete with themed creative activities; and Grace Calloway, director of Messy Brain Events, who organised a community mural project in which all festival attendees were encouraged to take part.
The festival attracted a great deal of engagement from both local residents and visitors from further afield, boldly demonstrating the positive impact that street art of all kinds can have upon a city and its community.
Listen along to find out more…
This episode of Kleócast is co-produced by Kleó Magazine and Art Fest Nottingham.
Images: Tom Morley
Music (theme): OpenMusicList