From the first momentous Herakut mural at the Green in 2017 to the largest work to date on Union Plaza earlier this year, the multi-award winning Nuart Aberdeen has transformed the Granite City.
Plans are now gathering pace for Nuart Aberdeen 2019 and organisers have issued a ‘call for walls’ for property owners and businesses to become a part of the internationally renowned street art festival, which returns to Aberdeen from April 18 to 21.
Brought to the city by Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, Nuart Aberdeen has won four awards since it was first established, including the UK Association of Town and City Management’s Innovation Award, the Visit Scotland Award for Tourism.
It also won the place management BID award at the 2017 National Business Improvement District (BID) Awards and was the signature piece in securing the 2017 European BID of the Year win. In addition, Aberdeen Inspired has also been awarded the Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence by the International Downtown Association (IDA) for its work and initiatives related to Nuart Aberdeen 2018.
Preparations are underway to pinpoint wall locations to use for the festival this year and the project team is eager to hear from business owners that would like to be involved.
Organisers are looking for external walls in good condition which must be within the BID area, visible to the public and not granite or listed. A review process will be carried out on all submitted walls to assess eligibility.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said:
“Nuart Aberdeen has left an incredible legacy in our city already and we can’t wait to bring it back next year. It has changed the perceptions of both locals and visitors to Aberdeen and achieved wordwide acclaim. Above all else, it has captured the hearts of people.
“Each year we appeal to property owners to become a part of this artistic movement through putting forward potential walls for our acclaimed artists to make their own during the festival. This is a brilliant way to be a part of a truly transformative event, which we are very excited to be bringing back to Aberdeen.”
The festival has been warmly welcomed by local businesses including Bon Accord, which engaged in a participatory public art project with Nuart Aberdeen artist Bortusk Leer on St Nicholas Centre Rooftop Garden earlier this year.
Craig Stevenson, Bon Accord Centre manager, said:
“We were delighted with the opportunity to be part of the legacy that is the Nuart Aberdeen festival through the piece of art created by Bortusk Leer within the Rooftop Garden.
“It was a great use of an unused wall space and attracted thousands of people to this area through both the walking tours, and overall excitement surrounding the art. As part of this, we launched our popular Monster Hunt at the start of the summer, incorporating the design of the street art constructed by Leer. We would urge people to get involved in Nuart Aberdeen 2019 whether that is through putting forward a wall for consideration or coming along to enjoy the festival.”
To submit a wall, please send an email to
callforwalls@aberdeeninspired.com
with the following information:
— Address
— A photo of the wall(s)
— Approximate dimensions of the wall