Posts Tagged ‘ JFK Memorial ’
When: Saturday 23rd February, 12:00 noon
Where: High Street Digbeth/Floodgate Street junction
After being postponed due to the snow earlier in the year, the JFK memorial will finally be rededicated at its new home in Digbeth this Saturday.
To whet your appetites, Dave Birks sent us a great time-lapse video of the installation of the mosaic (below):
We have been keeping our readers up to date with the progress of the JFK mural on Floodgate Street.
Thanks to Flickr user Sparks68, we can now share some photos of the completed work; see below to watch a slideshow of Sparks68′s photos.
The mural will be officially opened on Sunday 20th January at 12:00 noon.
Our friends, Flatpack Festival, recently tweeted an image of the long-awaited installation of the city’s JFK memorial on Floodgate Street in Digbeth.
JFK mosaic mural taking shape on Floodgate st after five years in storage. #digbeth yfrog.com/kksfvwlj
— Flatpack Festival (@flatpack) January 8, 2013
It’s great to see that after all the controversy, the mosaic is finally becoming a part of Digbeth.
We have been informed that the memorial will be unveiled and rededicated on Sunday 20th January at 12:00 noon. Hopefully DRA will be there to get a photo of the ceremony in action!
In March I wrote about Birmingham’s JFK memorial mosaic, which is currently being restored to be placed its new home in Digbeth. However, since the spring, there have been a few twists and turns in the story…
Firstly, the artwork was due to be installed in June, but the new date for this is Thursday the 22nd November. Those of you who walk around Digbeth regularly will have noticed that the billboard that usually occupies the location on the corner of Floodgate Street and Digbeth High Street has been removed recently.
The Birmingham Mail reported in July that President Obama could be invited to unveil the mosaic; although DRA is keen for Digbeth to be seen as an area of (inter)national importance, this did seem a little too blue sky for the city. (Don’t pardon the pun, it’s intentional!)
Things came to a head last week when it was announced that the city’s first Irish Lord Mayor, Mike Nangle, was to be added into the restored artwork, with a heated debate taking place in the Irish Centre. However, since then, Digbeth-based charity and support service Irish in Birmingham, has gone on record to say that they see no problem with honouring Mike Nangle‘s career as part of the renovation of the mural.
The latest news now is that the decision to re-install the mural has been postponed until further consultation with the community. Let’s just hope that we’ll see this highly-regarded piece of art move to its new home in Digbeth soon.
Image: Birmingham Mail
Green Man. Image: Birmingham Mail.
The Birmingham Mail recently compiled a list of Birmingham’s top ten public artworks. Click here to see the list and associated images. Two of the top ten are (or will be) located in Digbeth – well, we are the creative quarter!
The Custard Factory’s Green Man came in top, with the city’s JFK mural which is currently being restored, in 9th place.
Just another reason why Digbeth is a great place to live!
How the JFK memorial could look in Digbeth by Birmingham Mail
Regular readers of Digbeth is Good may remember the post last year about plans to restore the city’s JFK memorial, and display it in Digbeth.
Well, these plans are one step closer to becoming a reality after artist Oliver Budd, whose father Kenneth created the mosaic, returned the President’s head to piece he is painstakingly re-creating in his London workshop.
The finished piece will take pride of place on the corner of Digbeth High Street and Floodgate Street in June. The city hope to ask a senior White House official to unveil the restored mosaic.
It’s quite timely that the US athletics track and field team will be arriving in Birmingham for their Olympics training camp around June. Let’s hope it’s completed by then!
