Art of Protest Creative Director and founder Jeff Clark said the firm was planning extensive engagement with people in Acomb to help them design a mural locals would be proud of.
It comes after York Council chose Art of Protest for the £38,000 project, which also includes refurbishing eight benches, as part of the wider regeneration of Front Street.
Council plans for the regeneration, which also include removing 90 of the 131 bollards in the street following the installation of almost 100 in January 2023, were approved in September.
The £570,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) cash which is financing the regeneration project has to be spent by the end of March, otherwise the Government could claw it back.
The mural is set to mark a new gateway to Front Street where new planters are set to be installed and crossings widened as part of the project.
Acomb Front Street
Mr Clarke said he hoped the design of the mural would be ready by then following engagement with the community which is set to begin from early January.
The creative director told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he hoped the engagement process would help get people in Acomb on board with the final design.
Mr Clark said: “We’re always honoured to get any of our applications for work approved, but the fact that this one’s for a project in our home town makes us all the more pleased.
“What we want to do now is to win over the hearts and minds of the community because we don’t want to think that we already have the answers until we’ve heard from people there.
“It’s always good to be able to express ourselves as artists, especially in an area that we know intimately like Acomb.
“We understand that art speaks a language and it doesn’t have a colour, creed or age, we’re hoping that our deep public engagement can get everyone can be singing from the same hyme book.
“We want to deliver something that people can be proud of for decades to come, it’s not just about creating art, it’s about how people are going to feel about it.
“We’ll be providing a full breakdown of our plans in January and we’ll be able to come back to the public with timelines for the project.”
Plans for Front Street approved in September are also set to see new signs installed featuring oak trees and leaves.
The branding is a nod to the origins of the name Acomb which comes from the Old English word acum, meaning at the oak trees.
A new entrance to Front Street is set to be created at the west end of the road, with widened crossings to make it more pedestrian-friendly.
Council officials are also set to look at whether the pedestrianisation of the street could be expanded beyond the current six hours a day.
