An urban art showcase designed to bring life to Hamilton returns this month for its third iteration — this time with plans to grow outside the City.

The Bermuda Walls Mural Festival will charge 25 artists with creating works to bring new life to Bermuda’s open spaces.

Nhuri Bashir, originator of the festival, said new additions would involve 14 artists painting a mural at Bailey’s Bay as well as a competition between local and international artists on who can create the best wall art.

Mr Bashir added: “I believe everything is going in a positive direction.

“I think that people love the concept of an open-air gallery and that’s kind of the genesis of this whole project — to bring artwork out into places where people can enjoy it and it’s not just inside of a building.”

Last year, the Bermuda Walls Mural Festival featured about a dozen artists testing their skills in the weeklong event.

Mr Bashir said the previous mural festival had come through as a huge success, particularly among Bermuda’s art scene, which helped the festival to expand.

This year, the festival will commission a mural in the Bailey’s Bay section of the Railway Trail, to be spearheaded by the 14 members of the arts foundation Chewstick.

The public will be able to join in on the project on April 11 between 10am and 4pm.

The mural festival will also feature the Secret Walls competition, a travelling contest that pits a team of nine Los Angeles-based painters against local artists.

The competition will be held at the Butterfield & Vallis warehouse on Woodlands Road, Pembroke, on April 12 and will feature a pop-a-wheelie competition and skateboarding.

Mr Bashir said that on top of making art more noticeable, large-scale projects such as these helped people to understand that the art scene could be a lucrative career choice.

He added: “I think that, from an artistic standpoint, if we can inspire at least one kid or an adult to pick up a brush and do something cool, then job well done.

“If we can create landmarks and beautification throughout the island, then we’re really, really sailing.”

Lifelong artist James Cooke spoke last week after putting two days of work on his mural near the Corporation of Hamilton Works Yard Depot on Laffan Street.

He said the work will serve as his second time in the festival and feature a much more realistic style than what he was used to.

Mr Cooke’s painting depicts a parade of drummers from the Warwick Gombeys, with particular focus on their hands, instruments, sticks and the looks of younger drummers.

He said that he wanted to draw attention to the musicians tied to the craft and how it was passed from generation to generation.

He said: “Everyone’s always talking about the Gombey dancers, which is a beautiful and very important thing, but I think you don’t have the dancer without the drum.”

Mr Cooke said that he went to take photographs of the Warwick Gombeys practising at Bulls Head parking lot in Pembroke, near where his mural is taking shape, for reference.

He said: “What I really captured was the eyes of the youth watching the hands of the elder drummer.

“You really got to bear witness of that rhythm through generations, and I thought that was cool.

“It’s one thing to be on parade at May 24 and have it be all the super-skilled guys, but to see at a practice, when no one’s watching, the passing-down of a tradition literally from one hand to another, I think was such a beautiful thing.”

The mural is expected to be completed in time for the festival on April 12.

Mr Cooke added that he was happy to shine a light on budding new talent.

He said: “In Bermuda, we’re always trying to champion seniors, and I think a lot of the time the youth don’t get the recognition that they deserve.

“For me, regardless of whether or not these guys are super well-known drummers, I feel like they’re going to get way more of a kick out of being up on a wall ten feet tall.

“I think just for them taking the responsibility of carrying something like this, they should be celebrated.”

A spokeswoman for the Corporation of Hamilton said: “The City is proud to once again support Bermuda Walls by providing city-owned wall space on Laffan Street, near the City’s works depot, for a striking new mural.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to further strengthen Hamilton’s dynamic public art scene while transforming an everyday urban space into something inspiring and lasting.”