A business owner is on a mission to bring her firm’s “wasted” yard to life as a place where people of all ages can benefit from having a community expressive art space.
Lucy Ferrier and co-owner Marc Johnston run Reload on Carlibar Road, in Barrhead, a printing and branding specialist service which produces everything from massive industrial signs for companies to business cards, leaflets, stickers and clothing.
Outside they have a space measuring 610 square metres and are raising money to develop it into a “safe, inclusive place to paint”, eliminating the anti-social behaviour often associated with spray painting.
They also hope to use the space to deliver workshops and to simply help people get out of the house and connect with others.
Lucy, who specializes in graphic design and environmental art, told the Barrhead News: “Currently we are in print production but we work with a group of artists and we do a lot of youth work and art therapy work and have this backyard area.
“Art is something that is very beneficial (for mental health and wellbeing) and we want to make that available for a lot more people who can’t maybe financially afford it.
“We hope to be able to put on free events for children during the summer where they can come in and we’ll be teaching different art workshops and have a team of youth workers and their support.
“Transport wise it’s a great location.”
Lucy, who also runs Bridge of Weir shop Tryptych Studios which specialises in jewellery manufacture, interiors, art supplies and gifting, is motivated by her own experiences growing up.
“Graffiti and stuff at the moment is at the height of popularity and it's becoming so popular that it’s vital there is a safe place,” she explained. “In Glasgow there's physically no legal place for a child to walk to paint and this is my big concern.
“From previous hardship and experience, I've ended up in very vulnerable positions.
"I used to be having to go under railway bridges and risking my life crossing tracks and I would never want children to experience that just to find somewhere to paint a mural on a wall.”
While they go through the long process of registering the space and charity and applying for funding, they are welcoming donations of materials and equipment that could aid the project such as wood, steel sheets, type 1 stones, mini diggers and skips.
In a bid to achieve their plans, they have set up a fundraising page online and last month held an “artists jam/awareness” fundraiser to help them get content to better explain the project.
To support artists, the yard community space and to keep material costs to a minimum, Lucy has also opened the first female-owned and run graffiti shop in Scotland on their site, selling graffiti and art supplies.
“The shop has a sensory installation of a Glasgow subway inside it also which is a great feature,” she added.
“Our GoFundMe is to help us develop the community space which is what we are in the process of registering as a charity so all money raised through it is to help us do the required work to pass health and safety and erect walls to paint.”
To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-bring-our-community-space-to-life.
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