Ashburton CBD Welcoming Mural
The opportunity
The Ashburton town centre is undergoing a revitalisation and as a District we are working on becoming a more welcoming community. There is great potential for Ashburton to celebrate our friendly kiwi nature and make a welcoming statement to newcomers, visitors and guests in a piece of art. One of the key elements of the Welcoming Communities programme is facilitating Welcoming Public Spaces. The programme applied to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment for funding to support a Welcoming Mural and was successful.
Welcoming Communities supports community-led projects and wanted to strike up a conversation about welcoming, and so asked people of Ashburton to help design some new street art.
A great spot was secured in the CBD that won’t be built out in the near future and when nearby building does commence, the space will remain open as a laneway, viewable to passers-by and users of the adjacent building. Currently the rear wall of Armadillo’s restaurant is widely exposed and faces into the Eastfield carpark. It is situated on the corner of Cass and Burnett Streets.
Why a mural?
Towns and cities across Aotearoa New Zealand are embracing street art, enlivening public spaces and carving out a visual identity for themselves.
A mural project is a great excuse to add life, colour, fun and vibrancy to a shared space. Placemaking is one way to help attract and retain people to live, work and feel they belong in the Ashburton District.
The Review Panel
Representatives on the review panel are from Hakatere Marae, Ashburton Youth Council, Ashburton Art Gallery, Council and the CBD building owner.
How it will work
Suggest your idea - Complete
We received formal submissions detailing what street art you want in your town centre.
Panel deliberation - Complete
The review panel used the public submissions of ideas to create an artistic brief based on the three top themes. This brief was put forward to artists with local connections to design and create a mural that incorporates one or more of these themes.
Call for artists - Complete
Artists were called for, shoulder tapped and tagged on social media by the community to respond to the artistic brief. Artist’s concepts were received and reviewed by the panel, ready for the public vote.
Vote - Complete
People can choose to text for free for which art concept they’d like to see painted. The design with the most votes will be installed on the wall for everyone to enjoy!
Paint - Complete
The artist will be painting the winning mural from June to July.
Visit
Finally, come into town, take your picture by the new artwork and post it up on social media!
- Suggest your idea (November 12, 2020 – December 3, 2020)
- Panel deliberation (February 2021)
- Call for artists (March 10, 2021 – April 7, 2021)
- Vote (April 20-30, 2021)
- Delivery (May, 2021)
News
Ashburton’s colourful welcoming mural will be officially launched on Saturday, July 24.
An interactive design symbolic of the district’s diversity has emerged as the public’s preferred choice for a ‘Welcoming Mural’ in the Ashburton town center through a community-led design and selection process.
Two creative and colourful mural concepts are being put forward for a public vote to choose which concept is preferred for the rear wall of the Armadillo's restaurant located in the Ashburton CBD.
Ashburton District Council, through its Welcoming Communities programme, is looking for an artist to create a street mural in the Ashburton town centre, and anyone wishing to be considered can now submit their concept designs by Wednesday 7 April.
Calling all creatives - Ashburton District Welcoming Communities is looking for ideas for a new mural that will be installed in the Ashburton CBD.