A new art initiative in West Belfast has transformed the area by bringing life back to local black gates.
As part of Belfast City Council's PEACE IV Transform for Change project, communities came together to create a special artwork on the black gates located at Kells Avenue, which was unveiled on Friday, December 16.
The artwork is situated between the Lidl supermarket on the Stewartstown Road and the Stewartstown Road Regeneration Project.
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The initiative engaged local children and charity Kids Together Belfast in an art competition to come up with ideas for artworks to be put onto the black gates.
The competition was hosted at the Stewartstown Road Regeneration Project and local street artist Emic worked closely with communities in the area to develop the final design.
Representatives from Suffolk Community Forum and Kids Together also collaborated to bring the cross-community project to life, to create an art piece they have said is helping to transform the area.
Councillor John Kyle, Chair of the council’s Shared City Partnership, said: “The vision for this special artwork was to create a bright, positive and inclusive addition or attraction to the area - improving the look and feel of the existing black gates there too.
“It couldn’t have happened without all the organisations involved working together, through the Transform for Change project. This is what we aim to do in the PEACE IV programme, to bring people together to create positive change.”
Andrea Muldoon from Kids Together said: “Kids Together were very happy to be able to be a part of this cross-community project. The children were very excited about being able to put forward their ideas and see them come to life. The project has transformed the area, giving the old black gates a fresh and vibrant feel.”
The project was part of the £14.5m PEACE IV Local Action Plan which has been funded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
PEACE IV Transform for Change is a citywide project across clusters or neighbourhoods in interface areas in Belfast. It aims to develop new and collaborative approaches to peace building and reconciliation.
The council’s PEACE IV Local Action Plan is funded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
For more information on Belfast PEACE IV, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/PEACEIV
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