The new Made in Maryport cultural consortium is flushed with success after the first in a series of art projects has brightened up one of the town’s most useful buildings.
The public toilets on Irish Street, close to the popular harbourside, have been transformed thanks to local artist Alan Roper who’s created a eyecatching new artwork which wraps around the building.
With a very colourful Roman theme, the mural on the harbour-side of the structure shows visitors exactly what’s inside – large lettering spells out the word ‘Latrine’, while the wall on the opposite side has the artist’s depiction of a helmet-wearing soldier.
Alan is a graphic designer who trained at Carlisle College and Newcastle University. He lives in Maryport, teaches art, and has carried out other mural projects in the town. One of the most prominent is at The Settlement education and creative hub – which saw him featured on BBC Countryfile – and he’s worked for organisations like the local Scouts, as well as taking on commissions in private homes and gardens.
The artwork, funded by a Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) grant, is the first project to be publicly unveiled under the Made in Maryport banner. It’s the brainchild of the Maryport Arts and Heritage Partnership – a group made up of Allerdale Borough Council, Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport Maritime Museum, The Settlement, the Cultura Trust which owns the Camp Farm Roman site, Cumbria County Council and Yan Tan Tethera Creative, who are co-ordinating the consortium.
Councillor Mike Johnson, Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said: “No-one can miss these public loos now they’ve been decked out in this amazing new artwork. It looks fantastic and is a real talking point in the town.”
Karen Thompson, who heads up Yan Tan Tethera Creative, agreed: “The artistic brief was to create something which was a celebration of Maryport’s heritage. I think it’s fabulous – it’s vibrant, celebrates our history, and has a real sense of humour.”
She also says there are other exciting art initiatives to come, featuring oral history, film, photography, painting and more, as part of the HAZ project.
Karen added: “It is important that the project showcases Maryport, but also that it actively supports creatives like Alan who are based in the town. There is a growing and active creative community in the town and Made In Maryport aims to support them with networking, training and project development. It is fundamental to project that the burgeoning Maryport artistic community is benefiting from this funding.”