A new mural is coming to Acomb – and the street art team wants your ideas

A giant piece of street art is coming to Acomb – and the team creating it want to hear from people who live in the area.

York social enterprise Art Of Protest have created spectacular works of art up and down the country.

Now it’s back working in its home city, having won the tender to turn a blank wall on the side of Snip barbers into something much more eye-catching, as part of the work to improve Front Street.

Founder and creative director of Art Of Protest Jeff Clark said: “When we won the the bid to do it, we were ecstatic. And that’s not just because two of the senior members of the team, Tom and Gemma, both live within metres of the actual wall itself.

“The rest of the team all live within a mile of it. So it’s a home-patch mural. For us to be able to get that, it’s just a wonderful thing.

“We’re really happy to be able to work in York again.”

It was Art Of Protest who turned an empty Market Street building into a neon aquarium, as part of the York BID commitment to street art in the city.

The next stage of the Acomb artwork is to get input and ideas from residents. “If you want to paint anything which has the deepest meaning possible, it has to win over the hearts and the minds of the people in those places,” Jeff said.

“When we go and speak to people, we want to hear about the hidden gems of the local area and what the area means to them.”

He says the artwork should celebrate Acomb’s heritage and be “bright, fun and inviting”.

Art Of Protest is holding a series of engagement sessions for people to share their views – see the panel below.

They are encouraging people at many of these sessions to make own art, either with spray cans or by painting plant pots.

“Children learn through play. Actually, adults do exactly the same,” Jeff said.

“So we want people to come in and we want people to play, smile, laugh and realise that everyone around them just wants the same thing, which is a positive experience, and you want to pass on that positive experience to everyone.”

Participants will also be shown different styles of street art – portraiture, geometric, abstract, wildlife.

“Then, when we ask them what do you want to see, they’ll give us honest feedback. So when we create it, they’ll be embodied within it.

“As artists and creatives, it’s our job to make that come to life and be as exciting as possible, and offer all the different subtleties that will lead back to the storytelling through the engagement.”

@artofprotestprojects

Children’s Capital Of Culture and Art Of Protest present… You’re Not From New York City You’re From Rov’rum Art Of Protest are thrilled to be part of the launch of the very first Children’s Capital of Culture programme in Rotherham with three large land art installations across the borough. It’s a project that’s close to our hearts – inspiring the minds of future generations of young creatives. The children and young people of Rotherham had their voices heard, and their thoughts shaped the pieces of artwork that were created. These pieces of artwork act as a calling beacon to culture in the region to signify the importance of Children’s Capital Of Culture. The AOP team have worked tirelessly through the seasonal period, two snow storms, gale force winds, freezing conditions and late nights to pull off the installations for this launch campaign. AOP and Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 would like to give huge thanks to the young people who took part in our engagement sessions as this would not be possible without their amazing imaginations. Thank you to everyone on the Children’s Capital of Culture team for bringing this inspirational project together. Special thanks to all of our AOP team who really brought this vision to life. And to the fabulous workers at the cafe at Wales Wood campsite for supplying us with hot drinks and good vibes to keep us going! Go check out all 3 installations this January! 📍Rother Valley Country Park 📍Rosehill Park 📍Kimberworth Park 📸 @Vox_Multimedia Keep your eyes peeled as we have lots of exciting footage coming out this week on our socials about these artworks – and head to @Children’s Capital of Culture or head to our bio to find out more about what we do. #fyp #fypツ #spraypaint #childrenscapitalofculture #streetart

♬ Fake Tales Of San Francisco – Arctic Monkeys

Another key aspect of the project is the Street Art Academy, with classes for children and adults.

These free sessions are an opportunity to develop your street art skills, learn about the medium of spray paint and the process of delivering a large scale mural.

One person from each group will be selected to shadow and support the mural on Front Street, providing them with a professional hands-on experience.

Jeff, who grew up in York, describes Acomb as “a town in its own right, and it’s made up of these different areas.

“Each one of them has its own personality. Part of our job is to sort of bridge them together.”

He points out that Acomb has changed in recent years, and is developing a café culture.

“That naturally invites in new life – the young professional couples who then want to have children there, because they want to grow up there and utilise the green spaces.

“And that’s what we’re trying to do in life, isn’t it? Not gentrify, but keep places alive. It’s okay to develop. It’s okay to become new. You just want places to be alive with life.”

• The mural has been funded by a UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant via City of York Council as part of a wider regeneration of Front Street, Acomb
• All the classes and engagement sessions are here