This is the bit where we get to share the incredible work our members have been doing lately!
Alice Malia has been a network member for almost one year, she is a mural artist and works from her studio at Jubilee Stores in Newport, as well as at offsite locations. Her current project based in East Cowes, involves working alongside 8 other artists to paint a 65m long, 12m high mural on The Columbine Building, East Cowes – which is a shipyard and a historic landmark. The mural design, supported by an Arts Council England grant, will celebrate the industrial heritage of the island along with environmental achievements such as the reintroduction of sea eagles.
After moving to the IW from California in 2020, she found out about the sea eagle conservation project and knew immediately that an eagle mural would be exciting to create.
“White tailed eagles are apex predators that belong in this landscape, they were hunted to extinction by humans in the 1700s. There has been some controversy about the eagles settling here, and I was keen to discuss the enormous positives of having these amazing creatures in our landscape through art. I feel very privileged to be able to create public art for the island, mural art holds a unique place, it’s for everyone, and it can become part of a landscape and community.”
“In today’s world we need people doing everything they can to avoid biodiversity and habitat loss, my art aims to honour that hard work. The IW being a biosphere reserve is fascinating to me, we may not always think about it in our daily lives, but it means that we are successfully living hand in hand with nature. I think that’s really exciting, especially for children who can grow up here knowing they are custodians of a landscape where all living things can flourish – not just humans.”
We asked Alice what it is about the Island that she loves/dislikes and is challenged by working and living here as a creative practitioner. She said:
“I have found the art community on the Island to be so supportive and open minded. For this mural I have assembled a fantastic team of creatives, all artists living and working here, like me we all have other art projects and families to juggle. One of the nicest parts of mural making is to create something big alongside a team. For me the main challenge to living here is easy access to arts and culture, whilst there is a lot of activity on the island, i miss the big art galleries and theatres that you have access to living somewhere like London, or Manchester. I just make sure I get off the island when I can, though there really is a surprising amount of cultural activities here, and the best thing is that if you belong to the creative network – then you will always know someone whatever art event you go to! I love that. I love swimming in the sea in the warmer months, that’s got to be my favourite thing about living on the island.”
To check out more of Alice’s work, visit her website: https://alicemalia.com
And follow her here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pencil.town/
