Happy Holidays from the AOP Team!

Hello Beautiful Friends & Community,

It’s that time of year when our hearts are feeling full and our minds busy as we reflect on the years gone past and look to the future and the possibilities that lie ahead. This is a bit of a long one, but we’ve got a lot to say so stick with us! 

It’s been a tricky old year, for each and everyone of us in our own personal and unique ways, as well as the collective grief that we have globally faced together. But from the chaos and uncertainty have come some amazing feats and the support of our community around us has truly made all the difference. 

Reflecting on some amazing achievements in the AOP Projects world…

Joining forces with The Postman and York BID, we brought key workers to life and elevated them through an inspirational street art and paste up campaign called The Guardians of York. This project exploded beyond our wildest dreams and we still get goosebumps when we reflect on the stories we heard, the tears we cried and the lives we touched.

We devised a clever way to put a spotlight on the climate emergency in a fun but also serious stunt where we once again used our boys The Postman’s incredible artwork. This time we took their David Attenborough piece and partnered up the wonderful humans at York Rescue Boat to put the lovely Sir Attenborough just under the Ouse bridge in York. As we see the river swell, David becomes a constant reminder of the changing weather patterns and the global emergency we all face if we don’t take immediate action.

We watched a derelict park get transformed into a colourful urban playground. A place where kids felt safe to play again and people could gather, feel inspired and uplifted. We achieved this three part street art project through the efforts of artist duo Static and woodcrafter extraordinaire Lewis Morgan, with the support of Doncaster Council and Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust. Another successful achievement for the town of Doncaster paves the way for some more exciting street art projects in South Yorkshire.  

Again we took to changing spaces and making new places by revitalising an eye sore within the town of Malton. A dilapidated bus shelter was given a massive facelift and turned into an incredible work of street art through the talents of Static. This paved the way to new projects, and we worked closely with Malton Town Council to deliver a successful engagement program, hearing the community’s voice as we look to deliver a new park to the town next year. 

The in-house AOP team saw a colourful and playful mural pop up behind Coney Street at Tess Harrison’s adorable No 4 Cafe! With dynamic colours and shapes, we changed the landscape and helped to pull people towards a somewhat hidden gem within York’s centre. Jeff and Brenna also worked with the lovely team at Thor’s Tipis to deliver an installation highlighting mindfulness. We combined our artistry skills with murals and photography to create a lovely set of benches featured in the heart of York on Parliament Street. We also brought in our beloved friends and family, The Postman and Broken Hartist, to create a colourful and diverse paste up wall down Coney Street featuring artists from around the world.

One of our biggest achievements of the year was delivering one of the UK’s longest murals to the town of Doncaster. We brought in Nomad Clan, despite all the challenges of a pandemic world, to deliver a world class and jaw dropping work of art giving a nod to the town’s future, past and present. This mural changed the mindset of the area and proved what is possible through hard work and dedication. This too has opened the door to continuing more public art within the town and we can’t wait to see new life put into the streets of Doncaster next year. 

We have been fortunate enough to throw some amazing events this year, despite multiple lockdowns and a global pandemic. In York, we saw Location X land at the Malthouse where some incredible relationships came to fruition. We bid summer farewell with an insanely fun mural launch party to celebrate Nomad Clan’s massive mural in Doncaster, bringing in street artists from all around the country like Prefab77, The Postman, and Broken Hartist. We watched the making of a mural film created by the insanely talented Studio Bokehgo and took in a breathtaking exhibition by Street Art Atlas who impeccably captured the mural from start to finish.

This year we also saw our team grow and develop as we brought on some very special new partners and team members. We created a Community Interest Company, allowing us to foster urban art growth and development in even more areas of the public realm. We also established AOP Digital, a new arm of the company focusing on the rapidly emerging digital art world, exploring NFTs and their urban art crossover. AOP Projects is proud to be a Carbon Literate company, backed by the Carbon Literacy Foundation and we continue to strive for greatness in the fight against the climate emergency.

As well as delivering some major productions, murals and installations, we are always consulting with various councils, educational departments and communities across the UK and beyond. We have been so fortunate to tap into some of our industry’s most innovative resources, but also feel proud to be paving the way in this ever changing world, where now more than ever we realise the importance of public art and its ability to connect humans across the globe.

As we look to the future, we are ecstatic to deliver some key projects in the coming months, as well as supportive side projects with companies and organisations in several countries. Come February,  we will be delivering a super rad street art installation and skating pop-up show to the town of Rotherham, with the support of Olypmian-led BMXers and some really exciting partners. In Spring, we look to colour the streets of Leeds and beyond with an exciting paste up campaign. South Yorkshire is going to be decorated like never before as we bring in multiple big name muralists to change the urban backdrop. And Malton will hopefully see a brand new park and gathering space delivered by our amazing team of creatives. Speaking of, if you feel you have some creative juices to add to our team, please get in touch! We are always looking to push the boundaries, expand the horizons and work with new and ambitious people! Get in touch now if you have an idea or want to be a part of our team!

It is with open arms that we embrace our achievements and take our best foot forward as we dream, plan and manifest an amazing future. We thank you so much for your support, unwavering belief in our mission and the love you’ve all shared in what’s been a crazy year full of twists and turns. 
Here’s to a bright future for everyone and a healthy 2022! 

We love you all,

Jeff & Brenna & the AOP Team