Residents and visitors in Maryport will have noticed a new piece of art being created on one of the gateways to the historic harbour.
Maryport Arts and Heritage Partnership have commissioned local artist, Alan Roper to create a celebration of Maryport’s key role as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire UNESCO World Heritage site (which includes Hadrian’s Wall, the Antonine Wall and the German Limes).
The artwork is taking shape on the public lavatory building on Irish Street and as well as a dramatic and colourful portrayal of a Roman Centurion, there will be a cheeky reference to the Roman tradition of communal toilets.
Alan is an accomplished artist with a breadth of experience in developing murals in the town. He also runs classes at Maryport’s Settlement in Painting and Drawing which are open to the public. He has delivered schools’ projects and also works as a graphic designer. His paintings can be occasionally found in local galleries for sale.
The Maryport Arts & Heritage Partnership is a consortium of Maryport based cultural organisations formed to apply for funding available through Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone. Members include the Senhouse Museum Trust, Maryport Maritime Museum, the Castle Hill Trust (who own and manage Maryport’s Settlement), the Cultura Trust (who are developing plans for the Camp Farm building and lands), Allerdale Borough Council & YanTanTethera Creative. It is hoped that this mural will just be the beginning of a much larger programme of creative engagement in the town’s rich history and could lead to much more collaborative working to improve and enhance the cultural offer and capacity of the organisations to deliver exciting new projects in the coming years.
Project Co-Ordinator, Karen Thompson of YanTanTethera Creative said, “We have been planning and working to develop this project for a long time now, so it’s gratifying to see it start to happen. We’ve chose the name MADE IN MARYPORT to champion the huge resource of assets and stories that should be told about the town. People here don’t tend to view themselves as particularly “arty” in the traditional sense but they have always been makers and innovators here and many artists have been home grown in or inspired by the town. People are rightly very proud of it and it’s absolutely right that we celebrate that now.”