Bogside Artists' announce plans for artistic legacy 30 years on from starting The People's Gallery

It is now three decades since the three artists, the late William Kelly, Tom Kelly and Kevin Hasson, backed and supported by the people of the Bogside, began their first of what would become 12 murals in the Bogside. Thirty years on they have just completed the refurbishment of two of the Rossville Street outdoor artworks, ‘The Runner’ and ‘Motorman’ thanks to funding donations from both the Mens and Women’s branches of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) in America.

The artists - who have over the past 30 years traversed the globe exhibiting and telling the story of Derry - now plan to ask Derry City & Strabane District Council for support so they can refurbish some of the other murals which are in need of restoration, and to contact various bodies for backing to set up the artist legacy project. The legacy project is being undertaken to preserve the People’s Gallery for future generations and will also honour the memory of fellow founding Bogside Artist, Tom’s brother William Kelly, who sadly passed away in 2017.

The People’s Gallery has not only faithfully retold the history of the Bogside and the city and become an internationally recognised and lauded body of work in its own right, but has also unquestionably put Derry on the map and attracted legions of tourists, academics, students and visitors down the years with a huge economic spin off for the city and region.

Tom and Kevin said they wanted to ensure that they have the resources to continue that legacy now and into the future, by refurbishing the murals in the short-term and establishing the new network of local, national and international artists and students who will help to preserve it.

Tom Kelly said: “We will be going back this year to request funding given the economic benefit of the People's Gallery of 12 murals.

"Whether it is recognised or not by the establishment, a lot of people have gained employment off the back of of the murals’ existence and it has done a tremendous lot for kick-starting Derry off as a tourist destination. But to us, whether it is credited with that or not is neither here nor there, the murals were originally painted for the community and the people of the Bogside and to give a voice to ordinary, every day people who went through 30 years of conflict.”

While they have been exhibiting their work and relating “the story of the Bogside and ordinary every, day people” all over the world, statutory support closer to home has often been hard to come by, in contrast to the unwavering support the artists have enjoyed from the local community, as evidenced by their experiences during the recent refurbishment projects. Their steadfast commitment to remaining independent and rejecting offers down the years to become aligned with different political or other outfits has, they say, come at a cost.

“In a lot of ways we are prisoners of aggression and discrimination, but we continue to carry that story through the murals which we know are very important and one of the biggest attractions in the north west and are deserving of support on an annual basis,” Tom said. “If it was the Derry Walls there would be no question about it there wouldn't be any argument about it.

"A lot of people have done quite well out of the whole tourism end of things, formed companies, creating work and jobs, and that is all good and we welcome that and we think that is great but the sad fact is there has been zero contribution from any companies, not even a tin of paint or a brush and it is almost expected if we can’t raise the funds that myself and Kevin - the last two remaining Bogside Artists - curate this open air art gallery.

"At the beginning it was organic, the people raised money for the People's Gallery. I'm glad to say that 30 years on from that original support that covered the cost of the scaffolding, cherry pickers, paint; that support from the local community and Derry as a whole has not only been tremendous but it's been long lasting. It's still there. When we were down there fixing up the Motorman mural in December people were so encouraging, so supportive from the local community and acknowledging and recognising the time and effort and longevity of our commitment to the arts in Derry, to the people of the Bogside, to giving a voice to people and telling that story."

The Bogside Artists have amplified that voice at exhibitions right across the globe. They have toured all over Australia for two years telling the story of Free Derry and the Bogside, have travelled across Europe, and coast to coast visiting universities across the US. They gave a lecture and presentation in the Capitol building in Washington D.C., were invited to paint a mural by the Smithsonian and were given a citation in the Boston State House for their ongoing work in art activism and civil rights, and their commitment to using art as a form of reconciliation. Another highlight was being invited to represent the nation of Ireland in the public at the Shenzhen Expo.

The irony, they said, was not lost on many when they were invited to paint a mural in Maribor, Slovenia during its year as European Capital of Culture around the same time that they described being "completely marginalised" by the UK City of Culture when the latter accolade was awarded to Derry in 2013.

"We have had some real highlights and some real lows,” Tom said. “One of the key moments in the last 30 years for us was having the opportunity of painting a mural of John Hume before he died; to pay tribute to the man while he was alive and to actually be there and see him unveil it himself. The second one was to actually see the late former Bishop Edward Daly alongside John Hume and Martin McGuinness inaugurate the unveiling when the last mural (the Peace mural) was completed and the opening of the Peoples' Gallery.

"What has always stayed with us too and what we will take to the grave, is the wee things like when while we were down there in December painting 'The Runner' mural and local people coming out seeing the conditions at that time and bringing out mugs of coffee, Christmas cake, Madeira cake for us. That's what matters. When we see that support hasn't diminished in any way whatsoever over the 30 years then that's what inspires us to continue to tell the story and to restore these murals, and therefore we have got a plan in action now for this legacy and bringing national, international and local artists together to actually form a restoration team to ensure the murals last beyond our life time."

The plans for this are being finalised, but the project is already generating major interest from universities and colleges in England, the US and beyond, interested in partnering on internships with international students.

That interest bears testament to the high esteem in which the People's Gallery and the Bogside Artists are held internationally.

Looking back to 1994 though, Kevin Hasson said the aim then as now was to honour the people of the area in a place and in a way that told their story. "We grew up on the Bogside and Creggan during that period of the Conflict and by the '90s there were signs of some kind of resolution under way, but we as an arts group had a vision: The Conflict was widespread throughout the city but so many key moments and key events all happened on Rossville Street and in the Bogside. We knew it was special historically. The Conflict began on Rossville Street, and a watershed moment that changed things forever, Bloody Sunday, happened on Rossville Street. And Rossville Street is also in a way seen as a main artery between the commercial heart and the Bogside and nationalist areas.

"We also saw at the time on Rossville Street there were these huge gable walls, almost in a perfect canvas shape and we decided that we would embark on painting a series of murals along the length of the street, only with the support of then people who lived there. They gave us their enthusiastic support. The building are owned by the NI Housing Executive and away back then we went to them to seek their support which they were more than willing to give us, and they even rendered the gable walls smooth plastered so we could paint the murals."

The artists believed they could paint a series of murals “that would represent and appeal to all of the people of our city, regardless of their political affiliation”, Kevin said.

“That was important because the murals were never intended to be party political, for one particular political group or ideology. It was simply our story and we knew how sensitive that was, and we completed a series of murals we felt could appeal to everybody in our city. At this particular time we were never thinking of anyone beyond our city, it was only the people of our city who endured 30 years of Conflict: their story which is our story, all our story, and this was embarked upon long before visitors were even coming to this city, before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

"It was purely our story in a visual way. The thinking was we endured this type of life for a very long, long time, there was a lot of pain and hurt obviously and we were making sure in a way that it won't be forgotten about easily.

"Things have changed over the years, ideas have changed, political courses have changed and a lot has happened politically, people change and compromise but those murals have been there long before the peace process, visitors, and they have never changed. It is our story and that authenticity that appeals to people and that is what attracts attention from universities and colleges across the world who study the conflict in Northern Ireland in the context of peace and reconciliation, and they have used the People's Gallery a lot in their studies.

"There is revisionism through time and we were making sure there is no revisionism in our story."

Kevin concurred that the artists have struggled to secure funding, and both said they were delighted and honoured when the branches of the AOH of America, gave them two small donations which enabled the recent refurbishment. “We have some more to refurbish so hopefully we get the support locally from our city. We hope that by AOH America giving us a small donation that that will be an incentive hopefully to our local Council which we will be applying to help us in refurbishing murals.

"The Bogside Artists would like to thank the AOH America, both the Men's and Women's branches for their support and thank them for understanding the meaning and significance of the Peoples Gallery. We are deeply grateful to the AOH."

Tom adds that the AOH recognised the underpinning spiritual meaning intrinsic throughout the People's Gallery, the symbolism of hope, peace, reconciliation, justice and resurrection that permeates the work.

"Sometimes it sadness us when we see our work and ourselves over the last 30 years being completely misrepresented," he reflects. “We know what the murals mean, why they were painted and who they were painted for: the people and that is who we paint for. But it is not a one-sided affair, it is far removed from propaganda, it is art and a reflection of the times in which we lived. It is not beating any big drums or making any big statements, It is simply saying: here are our lows and here are our highs. That is why the People's Gallery is important, it is part of our culture in Derry and is not to be labelled one side or the other. People from other conflict areas in the world like Ramallah and the West Bank could readily identify with it.

"There is no one saying this is children holding hands on the Peace Bridge, or that this is the most positive, uplifting series of murals but they do demand attention and reflection, and they have brought great benefit to the entire city,” he said.

And the proof of that can be found at the murals themselves where, on any given day of any given year, you will find groups of tourists, students, academics from right across the world staring up in awe at what will always be the People’s Gallery.