We are super excited to share a new community project that is currently underway at the centre!
Reading High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) has commissioned a new large scale public art work for Hosier Street/ St Mary’s Butts. The project is called the Market Tree and is funded by both Historic England and Reading HSHAZ.
It’s a community mural in which anyone can come along and help paint! The artwork is a celebration of the history of St Mary’s Butts and Reading in general. It’s divided in four sections, each one dedicated to a different season and depicting a different kind of meeting or exchange between people.
In Spring we have Nature meeting the community, in Summer you can see an exchange of cultural beliefs, in Autumn there are workers and artisans meeting, whilst in Winter you can find a meeting of different ethnic groups. To tie them all together there’s a tree, that sits in the background and symbolizes the place where the mural is being installed. Despite the passing of time, it’s always there, embracing under its canopy all the people that have lived and enriched the town of Reading. On its branches there are different objects that act as a reminder of key moments in the history of St Mary’s Butts.
We are so excited to be working with the council to help bring this project to life, and we invite all our customers over the next few weeks to get involved with painting! No art background or special tools are needed, just bring yourself and some painting clothes.
The workshop is located on the ground floor opposite TK Maxx and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00am – 5:00pm.