UNFRAMED, Ashford’s first mural festival is coming to the town centre and a Pilgrims Hospices shop near you!
Pilgrims Hospices are proud to be one of 14 special locations taking part in Ashford’s first mural festival, UNFRAMED!
Ashford will be turned into a vibrant masterpiece as a number of national and local artists take to its streets to transform blank walls into a sea of colour and creativity. All of the murals are in close proximity of each other around the town centre and will be part of the UNFRAMED art trail for local residents and visitors to enjoy.
Curated by street art and mural experts Accent London and The London Mural Company, artists include Mr Doodle, Alex Chinneck, Charley Peters, Will Redgrove, Curtis Hylton, Andy Welland, and many more.
Pilgrims Hospices’ location will be at one of its charity retail stores and its well-loved Castle Street shop will be the canvas. Here, a spectacular and themed artwork will be revealed and has been curated by Will Redgrove in association with the hospice team.
The painting will be one of the last to be curated, just before the art trail formerly opens to the public.
The charity have worked closely with the artist, Will Redgrove, to ensure that the design has hospice meaning and resonates with trail viewers, whilst also showing nature in a vibrant and bold setting.
Pilgrims Hospices representative, Kate Duddell, said: “At its heart, Pilgrims Hospices is dedicated to ensuring people living with an incurable illness can access the quality care and comfort they deserve. Our environment is so important and we wanted to work closely with Will to ensure that this masterpiece has meaning and the elements represent what the hospice is all about, yet in an abstract way.”
Nature is the focus of the Pilgrims mural and it’s nothing new that spending time in the great outdoors and within a natural setting does wonders for our physical health and mental wellbeing. With all these benefits, it’s little wonder why nature is the focus of the Pilgrims artwork. It is a meaningful representation of everlasting love, gratitude, respect, memory and care, which the natural symbols within the artwork represent; all of which are important in Pilgrims’ daily work in caring for the east Kent community at the end of life.
Kate added: “People think that hospices are sad places, but really they are places to help our patients live fully and well in the time that they have. Our welcoming facilities and gardens enable families, carers and patients to have a brighter and inspiring setting for their care. Hospices aren’t places to be fearful of – they’re places that remove fears within natural and safe surroundings.”
Visitors to the festival will be able to download a map, scan a QR code at each site, or pick up a physical map from Coachworks, Low Key Tap Room, Picturehouse or Made in Ashford and wander around the town centre immersing themselves in the street art and learning more about each piece.
Mural lovers can also join a free, artist-led, family friendly guided tour; click here for more details and to book.
The mural festival will run from Saturday 1 April to Sunday 16 April 2023, with arts workshops, street dance and film screenings available to all visitors.
Keep up with all the latest updates as they happen and watch the progress of the artwork being created by following @ashfordunframed on Instagram.
You can find more information and event updates on the Love Ashford website.
