Community-led murals celebrate stories of home in Middlesbrough

Two new community-led murals have transformed prominent buildings on Princes Road in Middlesbrough's Gresham neighbourhood, celebrating stories of home, belonging and place through a collaborative public art project.

Developed as part of the first Middlesbrough Storytelling Festival, the murals - Stories of Home and Skies of Home- were created through a partnership between Middlesbrough Council, Creative Factory, and the Institute for Collective Place Leadership (ICPL) at Teesside University.

The project brought together artists, researchers, community organisations and local residents through a series of participatory workshops exploring what home means to people living in Middlesbrough.

Artist Nocciola the Drawer (Hazel Oakes) mentored local artist Hannah Campion, with workshop participants contributing ideas, stories and artwork that directly informed the final mural designs.

Stories of Home explores the passing of stories, traditions and knowledge between generations, while its colourful background draws on artwork created during community workshops.

Skies of Home celebrates belonging, connection and the landscapes that shape Middlesbrough, drawing inspiration from the town's distinctive skies, the River Tees, the North Sea coastline and the journeys people make through the area.

Professor Azadeh Fatehrad, Professor of Art and Public Policy at Teesside University and Co-Director of the Institute for Collective Place Leadership, said: 'This project created a space for communities to actively shape how their neighbourhood is seen, experienced, and shared. Through participatory workshops, we explored what home means, but also how it is collectively made- through relationships, memory, and everyday practices. The murals reflect these layered experiences, offering a meaningful and visible expression of belonging within the area.'

Councillor Philippa Storey, Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for Culture at Middlesbrough Council, said: 'It's brilliant that so many people and different groups have played a part in the murals. This is a great demonstration of both our culture of creativity and culture of community that will shine through in our bid for City of Culture 2029. Both murals have done a brilliant job of brightening up the area. This is an amazing success for the Storytelling Festival, and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed.'

Anna Byrne, Executive Director of Creative Factory, said: 'Creative Factory is all about spaces that create and connect. We are absolutely delighted; not only have we created space for four creatives to live in Gresham, we now have these amazing murals, developed by the wonderful connections of our communities and artists. It's a perfect example of why we've been longlisted for City of Culture.'

Middlesbrough Council contributed to the funding of the murals using government Pride in Place money designed to help improve the look and feel of the town centre and were informed by contributions from local groups including Newport Hub, Streets Ahead for Information, participants in Washed Up by Bob Beagrie and Rumana Yasmin, and families who took part in community engagement activities.

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