Painted Doors Project Comes to Perth!

We at Small City Big Personality love the city at its best and brightest, especially during the dark winter months. A splash of colour in the most unexpected places can really improve your day. Now, Perth has a few more vibrant additions you may have seen around on your daily travels.

The Painted Door Project started out in Aberdeen, where artist Katie Guthrie took part as a contributor.  The project sought to bring colour and creativity to the city centre, collaborating with a variety of local and international artists to transform a series of doors across Aberdeen. The project was wildly popular with locals there, and the concept has been successfully replicated in several cities around the globe.

Katie and her friend, textile designer Eleanor Young of Fun Makes Good, were inspired and set out to replicate that magic in our own fair city.

The Perth project kicked off with the artists collaborating on 3 doors in different city-wide locations: Tayberry Gallery, the AK Bell Library and Perth Museum & Art Gallery. As you can see from the photos below, the results are gorgeous.

More doors are planned and we can't wait to see the results. The Painted Doors Project team are hoping to obtain the funding necessary to commission more artists and designers to create their own door art pieces throughout Perth, and they're also in talks with Perth & Kinross Council to possibly create a large scale city centre mural.

The Painted Doors Project is an incredible opportunity for local artists to have a visible public platform to show off their skills, and public art can have a wonderfully transformative effect on any given space, bringing together culture and community in a way that works for everyone. Katie Guthrie believes that "public art is an important part in not only engaging and inspiring but also transforming the way of which every day spaces can be perceived”, and we totally agree.

Scotland has a proud history of public art, including the work of David Harding, whose sculptures were credited with revitalising Glenrothes in the 1970s, and the now iconic Kelpies of Falkirk. Taking art out of the gallery and placing it front and centre in regular people’s lives can enliven a space and improve your day. Perth is already home to a few familiar sculptures, and now with the Painted Doors Project, there’s an extra sparkle to the streets. It’s another reminder of the vitality of the city and its cultural scene as we work hard on our City of Culture 2021 bid! 

Check out further examples of Katie Guthrie's art on her website, and more information on Eleanor Young's work on her website.