We were pleased when Renata Rubnikowicz – a journalist and long-time resident of Sidney Street – agreed to join the Mural Panel. Here, she explains a bit more about her background, the experience of helping select the mural artist, and her hopes for what the mural might bring to the neighbourhood.

Richard Martin is Director of Participation at Whitechapel Gallery, where he oversees a creative learning programme for all ages featuring artistic commissions, residencies, festivals, lates, exhibition projects, talks, performances, workshops and screenings. https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/

We were really chuffed that he was able to join our Mural Panel; his expertise and insight were invaluable. Here, he explains a bit more about his background and how he found the mural selection process.

Drum roll please! We’re delighted to announce that Frank Creber has been chosen as the artist to create the Sidney Street mural. The Mural Panel reviewed all ten proposals in detail – there were oodles of good ideas in there, and beautiful visuals, so it was hard to whittle down – but after two long and constructive panel discussion sessions, and presentations from a shortlist of three artists, we decided on Frank.

Here’s our rather ugly wall (at the moment) with our beautiful Mural Panel members standing in front. We’ve made quite a bit of progress over recent months on the Whitechapel Stories (Sidney Street) mural project. Having crafted the brief and put a call-out to the mural painting world, we received ten proposals.

Taking a moment on the holiday weekend to celebrate a community and project dear to my heart: the Whitechapel Stories Mural for Sidney Street, funded by the The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as we launch the project website at www.whitechapelstories.org.

Thanks to Richard Wiltshire, the borough archivist, for hosting this morning's Whitechapel Stories session at Tower Hamlets Archives.

For our first session this morning, our Whitechapel Stories group ventured around the neighbourhood, using a range of old maps, photos, newspaper clippings and other historical resources to make sense of what we saw.

Sign up for the Whitechapel Stories proWe’re currently recruiting participants for the Whitechapel Stories project: an eight-week series of hands-on history workshops, guided walks, and online research sessions which will help us shape up ideas for the Sidney Street mural.