Mainholm Public Artwork

Impact Arts was invited by the West of Scotland Housing Association to work with the residents of Mainholm Estate in Kilmarnock to produce a piece of public artwork to act as a marker for the small residential area of Mainholm Court in Ayr.

The aim was to empower the residents with a strong identity as well as bring this relatively small community together by working on a project.

Our work included meetings with the residents to discuss ideas and aspirations for the artwork; creative research workshops with the older residents or relatives in the area; gathering stories and memories to influence the design work and an afterschool creative workshop programme for resident children.

The artist Shona Kinloch was invited to create a number of designs based on the ideas and themes generated by the community consultation.

These designs were displayed at a public exhibition with the chosen design being a bronze native red squirrel perched on a bollard etched with the young people’s designs.

The young people were also involved in creating a bench and stepping stones to be placed around the sculpture to help regenerate a disused greenspace and proudly mark the entrance way to their cul de sac.