Brave Arts shares his Broomfield Mural Story
The experience in Broomfield was fantastic. I met some incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic people from across the entire scope and age range of the local community. We received a large amount of different ideas from residents, and the energy was high from start to finish. We choose a cohesive, neutral direction of travel when we decided to go with flowers. Partly because nature naturally brings a sense of growth and vibrant colour to a space and the particular space very close to nature in its location. A massive part of making this collaboration a success was down to Candy Joyce. She was absolutely brilliant support throughout the entire process, helping to navigate the logistics and keep the project moving beautifully.
The community collaboration process
We agreed early on that the community's ideas would translate into imagery rather than literal words. The process really became an exploration of balancing that raw community energy with what was permitted by the property owner, ensuring the final style and approach satisfied the landlord while keeping the spirit of the residents' input intact.
For me, whatever the actual final visual outcome of a mural is, the process is always key. It is just inherently fun to paint with spray cans, which is why I used them across all of our sessions, including the initial ideas-gathering workshops. The absolute best part of the project was watching the community completely let go and enjoy using the spray paints to express themselves.
New skills and experiences and how these may inform future work
On a professional level, this project taught me a lot about how to best negotiate with property owners when their corporate expectations may not align with the nature of community involvement mural contents. Managing those design expectations and keeping everyone happy is a skill & one I’ll definitely take into my future practice. That said, when it came to bringing the community together into one space to talk, create, and present the project, it was a perfect fit. The Angel Pavilion is definitively a fantastic local hub that this kind of community-driven artwork works exceptionally well out of.
Most fun and key takeaway from this experience
Ultimately, the most fun part of my job is helping people try new and exciting things. Watching individuals challenge themselves with a spray can for the first time, build up their confidence, and create something beautiful together means that, in the end, the whole community wins.
Written by commissioned artist, Scott Irving of Brave Arts, who was selected from over 200 applicants by a community panel, to collaborate with Cheerful Chai at Angel Pavilion in Broomfield.
This mural is one of four, co-created with communities across the district of Chelmsford in 2026, as part of Concrete Canvas: Reimagined.
Concrete Canvas: Reimagined is part of the Young Cultural Changemakers Programme, produced by Culture Chelmsford and SPARK!, in collaboration with Chelmsford For You & Concrete Canvas, funded by Arts Council England, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford City Council, Chelmsford College, Chelmsford For You, Great Baddow Parish Council, Mister Gees Foundation and sponsored by Alfreshco, Community RePaint, Thirst Drinks Syndicate and Wickes.
