Students from Southern Regional College’s Creative Arts and Digital Technologies Traineeship shadowed renowned artist Fintan Magee as he put the finishing touches to Armagh’s newest street mural, located off Scotch Street. The project which wrapped up mid-October was based on the 1952 photograph from the Ernest Scott Collection at Armagh Country Museum1952 entitled ‘The Dawn Trio’.
Fintan has been inspiring students with his creativity, with 16-year-old Skye Harris from Markethill remarking on the freehand nature of the mural. Fintan has been generous with his time, coming into the College to speak openly about the realities of an artist’s career, including the challenges, resilience and creativity it demands, whilst hoping to instil his passion and creativity into the next generation of young creatives. On their time spent with the artist, Skye said;
“There are many inspiring things about Fintan. But what I really want to learn is how he managed to create the mural completely freehand, without using any projections, and still finish it so quickly.”
The students all agreed on the positive impact the mural will have on the Armagh townscape with student Bridin Loughran, from Keady remarking that the mural will make the City more welcoming. The pop of colour will add to the Georgian heritage of the City and counteract the greyness of 20th century architecture. This was the intent of the mural which had been subject to public consultation and revealed a strong interest in Armagh’s past history. On the mural Bridin said:
“It will make the community brighter and feel more homely and welcoming for everyone in the community. When people walk past it, it will add to their enjoyment to see that bit of colour in the town.”
The collaboration and shadowing at artist Fintan, is one of many collaborations lined up for this years’ intake of Creative Arts and Digital Technologies Traineeship students.
Mairead Duffy, Lecturer and Co-ordinator of the Creative Arts and Digital Technologies Traineeship at Southern Regional College commented:
“I wanted to create opportunities for students to gain real insight into the working lives of professional artists and this mural project was the perfect chance for them to meet a world-renowned muralist in person. Fintan generously gave his time to introduce his work, share stories about his life and creative process, and answer the students’ questions. This experience has allowed them to complete a case study on Fintan, which will form part of their employability units.
We watched the mural take shape and met Fintan again as the project neared completion. The final piece is a stunning work of art, rich in Armagh’s history and reflective of the city’s vibrant variety show era, when anyone could take to the stage. The project has sparked interest among students in the work of other artists, and it will undoubtedly lead to further collaborations that deepen their industry understanding and inspire their own creative journeys.”
The mural was part of the Armagh Townscape Heritage Scheme plans to create vibrancy to the streetscape of Armagh. The project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and private property owners.
