MARISCHAL COLLEGE QUAD TO BE REWILDED INTO A "JUNGLE OF COLOUR" IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHALK MURALS FOR NUART ABERDEEN 2023
The Granite City’s iconic Marischal College Quad will be transformed into a “jungle of colour” and excitement as hundreds of school kids create one of the biggest chalk murals in the world for this year’s Nuart Aberdeen festival.
The city’s own acclaimed street artist KMG will lead around 400 pupils from primary and secondary schools in the Chalk Don’t Chalk event on the theme of Rewilding.
They will create the massive piece at the heart of the historic building before it is opened to all children and families to add their own flair to the work on the weekend of Nuart Aberdeen, which runs from Thursday 8 June to Sunday 11 June.
Aberdeen Inspired, which stages the award-winning street art festival, say the Quad will become the epicentre of the festival in its biggest public participation event in Nuart Aberdeen’s six-year history.
It will offer an exciting and family friendly weekend, hopefully attracting thousands of visitors, as well as creating a stunning - and hopefully world-beating - new work, the largest installation of this year’s Nuart Aberdeen.
Artist KMG said: "I’m looking forward to working with some local kids to create our biggest ever Chalk Don’t Chalk installation.
“Unleashing the kids’ creativity to create their own characters and collaborating together to rewild Marischal College armed with chalk and our imaginations."
The artist, who created a massive mural on the side of Union Square for Nuart Aberdeen in 2021, will work with city centre pupils, chalking out ideas and suggestions in her own style, before letting the kids loose with their own imagination.
KMG will work with the pupils in the Quad in the days before the start of the award-winning street art festival to create the mural before it is opened to all children and families to pick up some chalk and join in on the Saturday and Sunday of Nuart Aberdeen.
As well as having the chance to become artists, families will enjoy a range of activities around Chalk Don’t Chalk including face painting, glitter tattoos, and bubble fun. This is the third Chalk Don’t Chalk event for Nuart Aberdeen, but by far the largest and most ambitious to yet.
Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said he was thrilled Nuart’s biggest public participation event in its six-year history will also create what the organisation hopes will be the largest chalk mural of its kind in the world.
“At its heart, Nuart Aberdeen is about the people of Aberdeen and making them part of this celebration of street art and the way it can connect and transform communities,” he said.
“I can’t really think of any better way to do that than by inviting children and families to transform the most iconic building in the Granite City with this huge artwork.
“No doubt, I won’t be the only one who is really excited to see what they will do to transform Marischal Square Quad into this jungle of imagination and colour.”
Nuart Aberdeen, now widely seen as the best street art festival of its kind in the world, has become a major tourist attracting, bringing tens of thousands of visitors and locals into the city centre It is a not-for-profit event supported by partners Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, delivered by Reed Projects.
Councillor Martin Greig, education convener and culture spokesman for Aberdeen City Council, said: “The Chalk Don’t Chalk workshops will be an especially fun and creative part of the Nuart festival. It is a great opportunity for individuals to get together to enjoy artistic expression. The leadership of the Nuart designers will be welcomed and enjoyed by everyone involved”.
Anyone wanting to get a flavour of the festival before visiting can view the current Nuart Aberdeen murals here. Plan a self-guided tour route here.
View the full artists biographies and previous mural work here.