Nygårdslien Barneskole - The Project

A StreetArt Bergen Project.

We were contacted by the head master if we could give a hand in making the school yard nicer. It was worn down and in a “boring shape”. Bygårdslien is an older school one of them only handling kids up to 6th grade. Back in 2017 they had news that the school was to be repainted but nothing had happened.  So we are in 2023, everybody including us thought the school had been patient.

Easter 2023 we took over the school yard. Parents, teachers and school management were applauding. We spent the Easter  doing our thing which is adding colors. Then we left. First news was awesome. Everybody loved it. That was as expected. The next thing we learned was that three kids with school refusal now looked forward to go to school. “The oddballs school” had now become their school. There were no match – this school was open for everyone.

We later found out that the public spending for each child that does not finish elementary school is 16 mil. NOK (in 2023 that is like 1.6 mil USD). Maybe our efforts, minor as they were, sawed the public health sector a staggering USD 4.8 mil. Hurray, Hurray …. BUT No we didn’t.

U see the municipality, that is the part of Bergen Kommune called Eiendomsavdelingen (Dep. Of Properties) those who were to repaint the school back in 2017 did not like it what we had done. So they came rushing, no hesitation as seen from 2017, and “!redecorated!” what we had decorated. They did it with high pressure guns and took it all down.

Some were left standing. Most of the graffiti on the outside – which the kids love – were all taken down.

There were two lessons from this Easter jam.
1) Well u know the first one and
2) The 3 kids what wanted to go back to school. This one alone was worth every second of it.

Artists participating were: BEE, Ounser, Nser, Tokig, 10.Dig, Mr. Adolfito, Helm, Bly, Flygefisk, Sorry, Dr.AW, Tri, Takla, Miko and Ami. Crews: OCF, VBSU, WC, TLA