International artists Prefab77 and Jimmy Turrell transform city centre wall as LMA strengthens ties with Newcastle’s creative community ahead of September launch
A huge new piece of public art has been unveiled in the heart of Newcastle as LMA ramps up preparations to open its new North East campus next month. (Pictured from l/r: Prefab77, Vix Leaney, Jimmy Turrell, Deni Chambers. Photography by Adam Kennedy )
The striking 30-foot mural on St James’ Boulevard has been created by internationally recognised North East artists Jimmy Turrell and Peter Manning, better known as Prefab77, and now provides a colourful new backdrop to LMA Newcastle’s newly refurbished city centre home.
Commissioned through Creative Central NCL in partnership with LMA Newcastle, the artwork was officially unveiled this week, with media invited to see the finished piece and meet the people behind it.
The mural transforms a previously overlooked gable end wall and celebrates the creativity, character and changing face of the surrounding area, which is fast developing into one of Newcastle’s most important creative quarters.
For LMA, it represents another step towards becoming part of that community before students have even walked through the doors.
The creative institution opens its Newcastle campus this September and has spent recent months building partnerships, hosting free workshops and bringing leading figures from music, television, film, dance and performance to the city.
Commissioned through Creative Central NCL in partnership with LMA Newcastle, the artwork was officially unveiled this week, with media invited to see the finished piece and meet the people behind it.
The mural transforms a previously overlooked gable end wall and celebrates the creativity, character and changing face of the surrounding area, which is fast developing into one of Newcastle’s most important creative quarters.
For LMA, it represents another step towards becoming part of that community before students have even walked through the doors.
The creative institution opens its Newcastle campus this September and has spent recent months building partnerships, hosting free workshops and bringing leading figures from music, television, film, dance and performance to the city.
She said: “We absolutely love it. It’s bold, creative and has a real Newcastle edge to it, and to see the finished piece here alongside our new campus makes September suddenly feel very close.
“We said from the beginning that LMA wasn’t coming to Newcastle simply to open a building. We want to become part of the creative community that already exists here, support it and hopefully add something new to it.
“Working with Creative Central and two incredible artists in Jimmy and Prefab77 is a perfect example of that.”
The mural is the latest addition to an expanding programme of public art led by Creative Central Newcastle, which has commissioned more than 30 street art pieces and creative interventions across the city centre during the past two years.
From large-scale murals and the transformation of Pink Lane to hand-painted utility cabinets and the outdoor Urban Gallery in Forth Lane, the programme is designed to give artists opportunities to shape the city while bringing colour and creativity into its public spaces.
Vix Leaney, Creative Central NCL Project Manager, said: “This mural is a brilliant example of what the wider Creative Central programme is all about. We want to create opportunities for artists and creatives to make their mark on Newcastle and to ensure that people working in the sector can find meaningful, paid opportunities here in the region.
“Having LMA arrive in this part of the city adds another important piece to that story.”
The finished artwork brings together the distinctive styles of Turrell and Prefab77, both of whom have built careers extending far beyond the North East.
Turrell is an internationally renowned artist, illustrator and creative director known for his bold graphic work across music, fashion, publishing and public art, while Prefab77 has spent more than two decades creating mixed-media pieces and large-scale murals in the UK and internationally.
Jimmy Turrell said: “It’s always special creating work in Newcastle. You approach a piece differently when it’s somewhere you know, somewhere you walk past and somewhere that’s part of your own city.
“There’s a lot happening creatively in Newcastle at the moment and it feels like people are recognising that more and more. Hopefully this piece adds something to that and becomes part of the area as it continues to develop.”
Peter Manning, Prefab77, added: “Jimmy and I both have international careers, but we’re from and based in this region, so having opportunities to create work like this here really matters.
“Public art can completely change the way people see a space. This was a fairly anonymous wall before and now it has an identity. That’s the exciting thing about projects like this. They can make people stop, look and think differently about an area.”
LMA’s arrival comes at a period of significant growth for the North East’s creative industries, with the new campus positioning students within walking distance of cultural organisations, venues, businesses and working creatives across Newcastle city centre.
LMA Newcastle will offer industry-led creative degrees across areas including music, performance, music production, musical theatre, acting, dance, film & tv production and business. LMA provides students practical experience, live projects and direct connections into industry.
Deni added: “September is now just around the corner and we can’t wait to welcome our first students. This mural is another little marker of what’s happening here, but there is much more to come.”
Creative Central Newcastle is funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Newcastle City Council, with the mural project also supported through UK Government Shared Prosperity Funding.
LMA Newcastle opens on St James’ Boulevard this September. Photography by Adam Kennedy.
For more info head to: https://www.lma.ac.uk/newcastle
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