Papergirl Belfast is an awesome
organization based in Northern Ireland that truly embraces the spirits of
community and participation through art. Their mission is simple: to
spread art to the public. And their distribution is streamline: via
bicycles.
Artists, writers and designers can submit
their work to Papergirl Belfast. Then, the organizers exhibit the work in an
"anti-curated exhibition." Finally, the team takes the art out
to the streets and distributes it to the general public.
The organization prides itself on its
commitment to accessibility and inclusion:
"Creativity,
cycling, generosity and our city all rule. Papergirl is a non-commercial,
guerrilla initiative that brings art to the streets in an alternative and
dynamic way by distributing unique rolls of artwork freely and at random to
lucky strangers via bicycle. Drawings, paintings, photographs, illustrations,
prints, textiles, stickers, T-shirts, poems, prose and zines – basically
anything that can be rolled up – will be collected and showcased in an
anti-curated exhibition before being shared with the local community."
I love Papergirl Belfast's
can-do attitude, love of art, and friendliness. Not to mention, their own printmaking-inspired
designs are quite beautiful and catching.
My short story, "The
Bride and the Groom," will be included in this year's collection. If you
don't get a chance to go to Ireland to read the story, you can also read it
here.
