Artist educator and muralist Will Redgrove worked with Year 4 pupils at Gascoigne Primary School to create a mural project celebrating the diversity of food and language

Five permanent artworks now decorate the walls of the dining hall and hallways across multiple school sites at Gascoigne Primary School, showcasing a variety of plant-based food items in some of the many languages spoken by the students in the school. 

‘I have learnt how to use paint and what type of brushes to use’

– Pupil

The final mural designs by Will were inspired by original collages made by students in teacher-led workshops during the lead up to the project, and featured 10 languages: English, Albanian, Bangladeshi, Urdu, Lithuanian, Yoruba, French, Swahili, Somali and Portuguese. 25 fruits and vegetables were painted onto the walls.

The students were involved in the painting of the murals alongside Will and a painting assistant – it was the first time most of the students had seen the mural making process up close, and 81% reported having learnt something new during the sessions.  

Specialising in participatory muralism, Will uses the medium as a tool to reinforce community and collaboration within a range of unique settings, fostering genuine connections with both students and staff.

Often working in challenging environments and with students from diverse backgrounds, Will cares about creating inclusive design processes, providing each participant with an authentic role in their contribution to the final piece.  

‘Maybe when I grow up, I can be an artist’

– Pupil

Working alongside a professional artist can help students to communicate visually and verbally about both how they see the world, and how they feel about it. Getting involved in the process also gives young people insight into what it means to be a creative practitioner. 

Interested in working with Bow Arts Consortia in your school? Contact us to find out more at learning@bowarts.com.

Read more about the Bow Arts Consortia Model

Our Consortia Model brings schools together to create inspirational learning opportunities for young people. Working in partnerships allows schools to pool resources to create a more robust arts education offer for their students. It supports relationships between neighbouring schools, creating a network of collaboration and support. 

Each Consortium is made up of a partnership of schools in a local area and is suitable for existing and new school partnerships, from federations and multi-academy trusts to more informal partnerships.  

Schools which are part of a Consortium each have an allocation of bespoke artist-led projects, alongside additional opportunity for schools to work collaboratively through Arts Award programmes, celebration events and artist-led professional development for staff. 

Read more about Will Redgrove

Will Redgrove is a London based muralist, community artist and educator.

Will was born in Hackney, growing up in the vibrant, multicultural community of east London. It is within this colourful and diverse environment that Will developed his passion for cultural histories, intricate identities and interlacing relationships.

He studied Fine Art at the University of the West of England, absorbing the energetic music and street art scene of Bristol and developing an understanding of the role of art within social movements and activism. Will returned to east London where he would end up studying Typography and Graphic Design at University of the Arts London.

His style takes inspiration from by vintage advertising and tattoos, pop art and folk art, often playing with themes around symbols, alphabets, the natural world, cultural histories, myths and fairy tales. Storytelling and communication is at the heart of all his work.