Butetown Community Canal Murals Project
#ButetownCanalMurals
Over the Summer and Autumn of 2023 we'll be working with our community to enhance some of the bridges on the Canal Network in Butetown. This has been made possible by funding from The Principality Building Society’s Future Generations Fund and the Community Foundation Wales.
This project will engage with nearly 100 local young people, through three local Primary Schools, Mount Stuart Primary, St Cuthberts Catholic Primary, St Mary's Catholic Primary, using the unique Butetown Canal ecology as inspiration to create three murals across two of canal bridges on the Butetown Canal Network. Creative participation workshops, with a focus on environmental awareness and conservation, will enable young people to contribute to shaping the design of permanent artworks in their neighbourhood. The Lead Artist will hold workshops and then design and install meaningful community murals from the material generated with young people around the key themes of nature, climate change and biodiversity. These Murals will then be installed on the Canal Network in Butetown, enhancing this area for the community.
Our work will focus on the following areas
We'd like to thank the following partners with this project
Atlantic Wharf Residents Association
Helen Gunter - Councillor, Butetown, Cardiff - Butetown Community News
Saeed Ebrahim - Councillor, Butetown, Cardiff- Butetown Community News
Robin Bonar-Law- Lead Community Artist
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Butetown Cardiff
Mount Stuart Primary School, Butetown Cardiff
St Mary's Catholic Primary School , Butetown Cardiff
Cardiff Council - Who oversee the Canal Bridges and will look after the Murals in the long term
The Canals were formed as a result of the rich Industrial Heritage of the area but now is a peaceful and ecological unique part of Cardiff's city landscape.
"The ships that moored here during Cardiff’s industrial heyday are long gone, replaced by nesting coots, swans and great crested grebes (during summer, keep an eye out for colourful dragonflies and damselflies too)"
"It’s a quiet spot that’s a perfect temporary escape from the city’s hustle and bustle."
Over the Summer and Autumn of 2023 we'll be working with our community to enhance some of the bridges on the Canal Network in Butetown. This has been made possible by funding from The Principality Building Society’s Future Generations Fund and the Community Foundation Wales.
This project will engage with nearly 100 local young people, through three local Primary Schools, Mount Stuart Primary, St Cuthberts Catholic Primary, St Mary's Catholic Primary, using the unique Butetown Canal ecology as inspiration to create three murals across two of canal bridges on the Butetown Canal Network. Creative participation workshops, with a focus on environmental awareness and conservation, will enable young people to contribute to shaping the design of permanent artworks in their neighbourhood. The Lead Artist will hold workshops and then design and install meaningful community murals from the material generated with young people around the key themes of nature, climate change and biodiversity. These Murals will then be installed on the Canal Network in Butetown, enhancing this area for the community.
Our work will focus on the following areas
- #Creativity - Inspiring nearly 100 pupils from local schools, with direction from the lead artist to create beautiful new murals.
- #Environment - Enhancing and growing awareness of this Urban Heritage landscape, with a unique history and ecology, in the heart of Butetown.
- #Community - this is a Community led initiative, drawing help and input from a wide range of community groups and individuals from Butetown.
We'd like to thank the following partners with this project
Atlantic Wharf Residents Association
Helen Gunter - Councillor, Butetown, Cardiff - Butetown Community News
Saeed Ebrahim - Councillor, Butetown, Cardiff- Butetown Community News
Robin Bonar-Law- Lead Community Artist
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Butetown Cardiff
Mount Stuart Primary School, Butetown Cardiff
St Mary's Catholic Primary School , Butetown Cardiff
Cardiff Council - Who oversee the Canal Bridges and will look after the Murals in the long term
The Canals were formed as a result of the rich Industrial Heritage of the area but now is a peaceful and ecological unique part of Cardiff's city landscape.
"The ships that moored here during Cardiff’s industrial heyday are long gone, replaced by nesting coots, swans and great crested grebes (during summer, keep an eye out for colourful dragonflies and damselflies too)"
"It’s a quiet spot that’s a perfect temporary escape from the city’s hustle and bustle."
- Some History about our Community in Butetown is available to view thanks to the The Heritage and Cultural Exchange, a community based organisation that aims to fully chronicle this heritage together with the cultural diversity of Tiger Bay and Cardiff Docklands and bring it to the world.
- The Butetown Canal forms part of the Wales Coastal Path, you can find out more HERE
Installation of the first Mural, September 2023
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The Canal Bridges before the project began.
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The Future Generations Fund is a Wales wide fund set up in partnership with Principality Building Society with the aim of having a positive impact in communities and the lives of young people in Wales.
This fund supports third sector and community organisations across Wales to help/encourage:
- More young people developing positive savings habits to achieve their life goals and make the right choices for their future
- More young people building financial resilience for life’s uncertainties
- More young people preparing for the future and world of work (including building skills)
- More young people gaining employment
- More young people living sustainably and finding sustainable answers to local challenges
