Artist starts work on new project to end scourge of graffiti on Sheffield shutters

After a few weeks of consultation, members of the public in Ecclesall, Sheffield, have chosen the design that would be painted on the shutters of the area’s library – and an artist has already started the work.

Nicole White, the artist, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that she grew up in the area.

She said she walked past the area quite often and she was pleased to be involved in the project.

She added in the design she wanted to show the local nature and it does have a nod to Ecclesall Woods with a mix of imaginative bits, such as the stairs made of books.

Nicole added: “I’ve started working on it already and I’m going to work on it in the next couple of months.”

She said it was a medium-sized project but because she is painting four different pieces it becomes a bigger project.

What does she want to achieve with this one? What’s the message she wants to send with the mural?

Well, Nicole said: “I’d like people to be able to celebrate the local area, the nature around here and connect to the wildlife more.

“Also, it would be nice to increase the visibility of the library, encouraging people to come in and read books.”

Cllr Barbara Masters (Ecclesall, Liberal Democrats) told the LDRS that graffiti on the library’s shutters had been a problem for years and because a little bit of money was made available to tackle graffiti across the city, Ecclesall ward councillors thought a mural could be a solution.

She said: “Because often graffiti taggers tend to respect the work – it’s also part of a longer-term project on improving the street scene to raise awareness.

“We asked officers to come and find out about street artists and get some quotes and we’re very lucky Nicole responded.”

Cllr Masters said Nicole got the briefing and understood that the mural should be about the community and sensitive to the area.

“She respected the fact that it would give a nod to nature, the environment it was in,” she added.

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed (Ecclesall, Liberal Democrats) added that it would have been easier to clean the graffiti off the shutters but then people would come back and tag them again – and they would go in circles.

He said the idea was to do something “nice and attractive” and he was hoping this would keep the graffiti away.

The project to improve the street is not just for the library but the plan is to improve the street scene all the way down through Hunter’s Bar where the road ends.