Chorus and the council bringing art to your neighbourhood
Published on 13 July 2023
Chorus and Whanganui District Council are joining forces again this year to deliver vibrant art to the district through the Chorus Cabinet Art initiative.
Four cabinets have been chosen for beautification and artists are encouraged to submit their designs before the deadline of Thursday 31 August.
Chorus Community Relations Manager Jo Seddon says it makes sense to partner with local councils, as they know their communities best and have the same goal in mind to discourage graffiti vandalism.
“Whanganui District Council has nominated four cabinets in need of beautification and we’re really looking forward to seeing what local artists come up with.”
The council’s creative community advisor Anique Jayasinghe, who will be collating the design submissions and working with the selected artists, says the finished cabinets can be murals communities can be proud of, often telling stories of the areas they are located.
“It was great to see the positive outcomes from last year’s projects – the artists made a real effort to connect with some of the surrounding community, which enriched their designs to be reflective of the neighborhoods they are in.
“From a council perspective, it’s encouraging to see more art integrated into our suburban streetscapes, and the fact that Chorus pays the selected artists – recognising that art is not merely a labour of love - is another positive aspect of this programme,” says Anique.
Whanganui has also been invited to be one of the towns nationwide to partake in the Rainbow cabinet art initiative. “Anyone can put forward a design, with the only stipulation that it has meaning, and promotes diversity and inclusion,” Jo Seddon says.
Design submissions are now open and the winning design for each cabinet will be chosen from entries received. The cabinet locations are 346 Somme Parade, Aramoho, 3 Cross Street, Castlecliff, 106 State Highway 4, Putiki, and 32 Ridgway Street, Central (Rainbow cabinet art initiative).
Information can be found on Chorus’ dedicated webpage.
Existing murals can be seen here.
For more information on the application process, contact the creative community advisor on anique.jayasinghe@whanganui.govt.nz and 06 349 3086, or Jo Seddon, Chorus Community Relations Manager on 027 655 5135.