Murals project to start with first two sites

August 17th, 2012
[by David Armstrong]

A long-term project to paint interpretive murals on Motueka business buildings got under way yesterday, with two business owners and managers already putting their hands up to provide the first walls.

At its August meeting last night, Vision Motueka gave the go-ahead for the Motueka Murals project (details here), with an initial team of four to develop the concepts, organise the process and connect with the potential artists, painters and funders.

The organisers are Kahu Geor, Paul Johnson, Linda Woodgate and Harald Laarakker. It was Paul's initial proposal, sent to the community board, which triggered the interest of Vision Motueka. Linda is also secretary of Our Town Motueka and has long held an interest in murals, Harald has experience in Holland with urban murals, and Kahu is already involved in several innovations in Motueka.

They will be seeking out further people who are interested in helping organise the project, including business owners, schools, youth groups and historians. The artwork will aim to tell the stories about the original area and its people, history since European settlement, recent new development and the surrounding environment.

Professional artists will be commissioned to ensure the themes and paintings are well designed and executed, and will work with volunteer painters to deliver great results.

The group believes that as quality public art such as murals are installed, people and businesses begin to take more interest and pride in their central business district, and this has business and community benefits that extend beyond just the improved appearance. These include:

Getting more visitors and tourists into town, who then gain an added appreciation and understanding of the special nature of this area, stay longer, and pass on the word;
Bringing ordinary community people of all ages and backgrounds (including children, youth, businesses, community workers, arts people) together to work on common goals and contribute their bit to the town; and
The knock-on effect where renewed pride in the town prompts other initiatives to make it a better place to live.

Two buildings are set to be the first to be painted, with their owners offering also to help with the cost of paints. Further funding assistance will be sought through community grants, and firms like Resene have already offered to help with materials.

Anyone wanting further information or offering to help in any way can contact Kahu at .

Comment by Johnna Alborn:
[Posted 9 September 2012]

I would love to get involved in this project! What a great experience it would be if the kids from Little Picasso's Art School could get involved, and create a mural in their own community.

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