Is it through a major infrastructure project, like the overhaul of the Clyde’s waterfront? Or with new ways of perceiving a ‘place’, seen in the Gorbals Crown Street Regeneration? Does the answer lie in being crowned European City of the Year, or host of the Commonwealth Games?
Following the pilot, the Gable End Mural Scheme continued until 1979, with thirty murals recorded in this period. With the onset of the 1980s, the inauguration of Thatcher and a tightening of the purse strings for arts funding, the scheme folded due to a lack of financial backing. So, was it successful? It certainly achieved its initial goal to brighten up tenement walls. Each artwork is distinct, inventive and thought provoking. But the artworks never attracted investment like in Soho, or escaped their impending demolition. Graffiti, diminishing media interest and a bemused reception from locals would suggest the pilot was ineffective in conjuring an enduring relationship between the artworks and the community. Yet, as you amble around Glasgow 50 years on, murals old and new line the streets. The Scottish Arts Council had sown the seed, but for it to prosper, the people of Glasgow had to assume control. The scheme’s contemporary success was undoubtedly limited, but the legacy of these first gable end murals endures for a cityscape now alive with colour.