Murals from local, national and international artists include Coloured Realms by Oluwafami Babalola; Broadfield Conversations and Crawley Oak by Eloise Gillow; Gateway to the World by Alec Saunders; and The Fabric of Crawley by Sarah Pimenta
The Murals will launch on Thursday 9 May with a bus tour of the mural sites provided by Metrobus
Popping up all over Crawley, town-wide Murals will form a part of Creative Playground’ssummer season, bringing colourful, inspiring and hyper-local art to the streets of Crawley for all to enjoy. Creative Playground asks local residents to explore arts and culture, creating a new sense of aspiration, joy and togetherness in the town.
In development since August 2023, Creative Playground has consulted 350 local residents, and worked with 5 professional artists to create 6 unique murals across the town in key areas across Crawley, chosen by ‘playmakers’ - the local volunteers who help shape the programme. The locations were chosen for their high footfall to reach all Crawley residents, and a need to brighten and liven up the area with colour and joy - Town Centre, Bewbush, West Green and Broadfield. The murals are all accessible by Metrobus routes 10, 2 and 3.
The murals include Broadfield Conversations and Crawley Oak, both created by realist mural painter Eloise Gillow - her first mural based in England; Coloured Realms by contemporary urban Nigerian artist Oluwafami Babalola who creates artworks for public spaces internationally; Gateway to the World from South London mixed media artist Alec Saunders aka Alec London; and The Fabric of Crawley 2024 by print and participatory artist Sarah Pimenta who’s first artist studio was in Crawley and who has worked with pupils from The Mill Primary School in Ifield to create this piece.
The murals will launch officially on Thursday 9 May, with a bus tour supported by Metrobus taking local residents to visit each mural site, allowing them to discover these colourful, joyful artworks and see their town in a new way.
A final mural from Sussex-born Jac Seifert, who spent her school years in Crawley, will be unveiled later this summer in the Manor Royal Business District. More information will be shared as part of the Creative Playground season announcement.
Ed Wills, Managing Director at Metrobus, said: “We’re always proud to support and celebrate the creative community in Crawley. These murals are a great example of all the wonderful things that are happening every day in our local community and across our network. What’s more, the new murals are accessible to everyone and can be visited on Metrobus routes 10, 2 and 3.”
Wendy Bell, CEO Crawley Town Centre BID, said: “We were delighted when Kingsgate Car Park was chosen as a location for the large mural in the town centre; as a gateway to the town you cannot help but be impressed by the sheer size and vibrancy of the mural. We are incredibly proud to have been part of this long lasting project and we are looking forward to seeing all the murals.”
Louise Blackwell and Sophie Eustace, Co-directors of Creative Playground added:“Since Creative Playground launched last May people have wanted to enliven the town with bold, colourful art. We are incredibly excited to launch this trail of murals which celebrate the vitality and resilience of local people and the importance of nature to residents. The 9 month process has involved a team of committed and passionate local people and a group of world class artists who have not compromised on their vision for the range and scale of works created. We hope others will be inspired to bring creativity to the streets of Crawley and welcome you to get involved in Creative Playground’s mission to make Crawley a vibrant and inclusive place to live, grow and learn. A place where we dare to dream for ourselves, for others and for the town.”
Creative Playground asks the question, Is Crawley Creative Enough? These murals begin to answer that question.
Supported by Arts Council England, Crawley Borough Council, Manor Royal BID and Crawley Town Centre BID. The launch is supported by Metrobus.
CREATIVE TEAM
Mural Artists
Alec Saunders
Eloise Gillow
Jac Seifert
Oluwafemi Babalola
Sarah Pimenta
Playmakers
Clive Martin
Ian Irvine
Iyadh Daoud
Izzy Burghard
Jade Hand
Jade Standeven
Jodie and Ettie Williams
Kathy and Lily Sarjanston
Liz Hart
Rashne Everington
Community Connectors
Lucy Bear
Mark Hales
Nia Finlay
Saaj Raja
Tracy Frake
Viv Evans
Creative Playground Team
Becky Jones
Ben Lintott
Erin Beesley
Harriet McDermott
Lara Hockman
Louise Blackwell
Pav Randhawa
Sam Evans
Sophie Eustace
Murals Freelance Team
Dom Foster
Ina Miller
Jack Crotty
Kenny Taylor
Lana Needham
Sean Phillips
