Earlier this year we received news that the DRAWDA Urban Art Trail had been nominated in the Business to Arts Awards 2024, in the Jim Mc Naughton/Tile Style Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice category, which recognizes best-in-class approaches to commissioning.
The DRAWDA Urban Art Trail is a partnership project between Droichead Arts Centre and Love Drogheda BID, that celebrates the areas mythological past in a series of large-scale murals dotted across the town. These murals are accompanied by audio narration of each story to create a stunning walking trail for tourists and locals alike. The trail currently has seven pieces, with hopes of adding more in the future, and the partners involved have commissioned top-class artists that are local, national and international to create the works, many of which have been recognized for other street art awards.
The Business to Arts Awards honours best-in-class arts sponsorship and philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and creative community engagement, the awards encompassed 12 categories, each highlighting the synergy between business-minded planning and artistic brilliance. At the awards ceremony last night held in National Concert Hall and attended by over 500 people, DRAWDA Urban Art Trail did not come away with the win under the category “Best Commissioning Practice”. However, the delivery team all feel that the nomination itself was such an honour, highlighting the dedication to best practice across all projects delivered. The murals bring a sense of pride of place, brightens up the streets of Drogheda as well as deliver world-class artwork to the town.
Collette Farrell, Director of Droichead Arts Centre, commented on the win stating that “In producing this project, Droichead and Love Droichead BIDS were conscious that the project would be a legacy programme which will continue long after. The aim was to embrace Drogheda’s mythological past, making use of shared public outdoor streets & walls, engaging with a new and wider audience. Partnership, and collaboration was at the root of the commissioning process. A team was assembled between Love Drogheda BIDS; Droichead Arts Centre; curators Dee Walsh & Brian Hegarty & mythologist Anthony Murphy to deliver on the project
The stories were chosen by the team, research was carried out by the curators to source local, national & international muralists, and our mythologist adapted the stories for the artists to interpret. The team sourced the walls, sought planning & worked out logistics & installation. Artists were chosen based on style and experience & we ensured representation was adhered to. Outreach projects with schools took place, a digital map was designed & an audio trail was created accessed through a QR code beside the murals.
Bringing local collaborators together including, the local authority, Failte Ireland& key cultural providers, creating a visual vibrancy & a cascade o colour in the town, reinvigorating derelict public places & streets. It was an opportunity to create a greater sense of place, building a greater engagement in our town’s story, whilst giving local people a pride of place in Drogheda, and creating a real & meaningful connection of place within Ireland’s Ancient East, and the 5000-year-old story of our area.”
Speaking to the reasons behind the success of the project, Love Drogheda BID CEO Trevor Connolly stated “We accredit the success of the DRAWDA Urban Art Trail project to the strong partnership that has been developed and nurtured between Love Drogheda BID and the Droichead Arts Centre, who already have an outstanding reputation for community engagement and working with talented artists, curators and makers. The Drawda murals have now created a lasting attraction in the town, retelling the area’s mythology and making these stories relevant and accessible to a modern audience. This project shows the extent of what can be achieved when the business community, art community, the local authority, community groups and the public all come together in collaboration to achieve something great for the town. Together we can do so much-and Love Drogheda BID will continue to foster those vital partnerships and collaborate on projects aimed at bringing something positive and special, like the DRAWDA Urban Art Trail to the town.”
Droichead Arts Centre and Love Drogheda BID encourage everyone to visit Drogheda and take the time to explore the DRAWDA Urban Art Trail and enjoy the accompanying audio stories attached. Maps outlining the trail, and the mural locations can be found at www.droichead.com and www.lovedrogheda.ie
