Portrait of to draw out

PROJECT’S RESULTS TO BE SHARED AT FESTIVAL OF WORDS

A MURAL depicting the acclaimed US musician, poet and activist Gil ScottHeron was unveiled on Tyneside yesterday.

It coincided with the announcement of a fresh round of names who will be taking part in the brand-new Words Weekend festival, which takes place at Sage Gateshead in December.

The artwork was painted by Brighton-based artist and illustrator Dan Lish, who has worked with artists such as Wu Tang Clan and De La Soul.

Scott-Heron was renowned for his spoken-word performances and the mural marks an important collaboration between Words Weekend and Sage Gateshead’s Arches Academy, a space for alternative education and engagement through creative activities such as digital music, urban and dance music and street art.

This autumn, the work of ScottHeron will be the focus for Arches Academy students, and what they create in response to their learning will be showcased at the festival. Artistic director of Words Weekend Beth Gallimore said: “Today we unveiled an incredible mural of Gil Scott-Heron which marks the start of our work with Arches Academy at Sage Gateshead.

“As part of their accredited Arts Award project, the young people on the NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training) programme will use the writing of Gil Scott-Heron to learn about politics, activism, poetry and spoken word, and are creating their own art in response.

“I joined in on a few of their sessions this week and the young people have really engaged with the issues Gil ScottHeron was highlighting.

“The fact that words are powerful enough to bridge the gap between a