Graffiti Jam to Bring Added Colour to College Open Event

Students from City College Norwich will be creating a giant graffiti mural on Friday, as part of the College’s two-day April Open event. Visitors will be able to watch and take part in a “graffiti jam” as students produce a giant piece of street art to brighten up part of the College grounds.

A graffiti jam brings together graffiti writers to create one giant piece of art on a legal surface, in this case more than 80m2 of previously plain hoardings on the College’s Broadland Drive.  The idea stems from a group of students on the College’s BTEC Art, Design and Media course. Students were looking for a project they could all work on as a team and tutor Kim Voisey thought a graffiti jam would be a great way to get them working together on a piece of art they would really enjoy and learn from.

The group have been working with Tony Allen of StickyFingerz, a Norwich based artists’ collective with a strong graffiti background. Operating from a base in St Augustine’s Street, StickyFingerz offers a safe place to sit and create or just relax and read, as well as a shop for artists to buy their materials. Tony and his team of graffiti writers from across the country will be supporting the group on the day. Tony has undertaken many graffiti-based projects with young people, including organising graffiti jams around Norwich’s Anglia Square shopping centre.  Tony is currently setting up a community project which aims to  discourage young people from tagging illegally and to encourage them to join him in creating art works on properties where the owners have given their permission. 

Kim Voisey, Lecturer, City College Norwich said: “Students study many different artists and techniques on their course but creating a piece of graffiti art this size is something we have never done before. It’s a great chance for the group to work on a team project and it’s a modern art form that they really engage with.  The students on this course have all had their previous education disrupted in some way, but they are a really committed group with lots of artistic talent.  It will be a fantastic experience for them to share their work with the Open Day visitors in this way”.

Tony Allen of StickyFingerz said: “StickyFingerz is pleased to be working with this energetic team from City College Norwich and is looking forward to seeing what the students produce. We have been creating and helping others to create large scale, beautiful murals for over 25 years and never cease to be amazed by the creativity that flows from young people. Spray paint is a medium that can take years to fully master but it is still fun and easily accessible for most students. We aim to find more areas where people of all ages can produce large pieces of art work in public places without fear of prosecution.”

Visitors to the Open Event, which runs on Friday 23 April (10am – 7pm) and Saturday 24 April (10am – 1pm), will also find a wide range of other activities alongside the graffiti jam.  The College’s climbing wall will be available for those with a head for heights, Hair and Beauty Therapy Industries students will be pampering visitors with mini manicures and hair makeovers, and visitors will be accompanied by live music provided by students from the School of Creative Arts. Anyone who is interested in studying with City College Norwich is invited to come along and speak to teaching staff and current students about the wide range of courses on offer at the College and to get a taste of college life.