As we are all aware, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. When it comes to street art, there is no truer statement.
Productions such as the Sincil Bank art trail, a project set up by the Lincolnshire Education Accommodation Project (LEAP) to combat graffiti in the area, can be seen easily as you walk Lincoln’s streets.
Or if you spend your time in the city centre, The Waterside Shopping centre boasts one of Lincoln’s most iconic street art fixtures. The sculpture, called Empowerment, was designed by Stephen Broadbent and was finished in 2002. It remains as one of the city’s only professionally produced pieces of street art.
Maybe you’re travelling, and are due to take a trip to the city’s new transport hub. Here, placards promoting inspirational quotes represents a whole different kind of street art.
But are additions to the city such as these welcome, or an unnecessary sight for the public? Do we need more, or should our focus be on other things.
Mick Lee, owner of Art Lincoln and a local artists, thinks the city would benefit from an influx of street art. He said: “Art livens up a city. It attracts more tourists, it gets people to be more creative.”
However, Lee quickly added: “Lincoln could do a lot more, it is so backwards. You get places like Nottingham and Camden. Lincoln could be a lot more like that if it wasn’t for the council; they really don’t give a lot of opportunities [to artists].”
We have contacted the City of Lincoln Council regarding these claims, but have not yet received a reply.
Joel Murray, digital Marketing Director at Visit Lincoln, commented: “The city lacks in street art currently, although great initiatives have been undertaken recently such as a community project in the Sincil Bank area, and in the Glory Hole with Lincoln BIG.
The Lincoln Business Improvement Group (Lincoln BIG) have set up the “Lincoln Creates” fund, which aims to encourage artists and businesses in the city to produce art that “enhances” the landscape.
The fund, according to its organisers will make the city a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
