Shaun Mcneil modelling Te Ara Korowai's award winning jacket. Photo / Rosalie Willis
It's bright, it's colourful and it sparkles.
Kāpiti's Te Ara Korowai in Raumati has won the creative category of Pimp My Jacket, a competition organised by MIX Wellbeing Centre in Lower Hutt for their bright and fun pimped-up jacket.
The competition, in its third year, attracted 96 entries this year, with 66 of those entering the creative category.
Pimp My Jacket is about bringing people together through creativity and celebrating the value of creativity to support mental wellbeing.
It's about raising awareness of the creative skills of those going through tough times rather than focusing on the negative labels often attributed to them.
Avalanche Inclusive Band from The Shed Project also represented Kāpiti by performing and entertaining guests at the event.
"This year Pimp My Jacket just caught everybody's attention," said Te Ara Korowai's Shona McNeil.
"It got too big for The Dowse Art Museum and was held at the Events Centre in Lower Hutt.
"The whole thing was so good, all the jackets were fantastic."
Te Ara Korowai's jacket was a collaborative effort with over 40 members creating a mandala design that was sown onto the jacket.
It will be displayed to the public at Flux, the community space at the Wellington Museum during Mental Health Awareness Week by Creative Spaces as part of a joint exhibition with Kāpiti's The Shed Project, MIX and Vincent's Art Workshop.
The Avalanche Inclusive Band will be playing at the launch of the exhibition which will include art such as paintings from The Shed Project's members and Te Ara Korowai's Tree of Life which features a similar mandala design to their award winning jacket.
The launch will take place on October 8 from 5–7 pm with the exhibition open from October 8-14, 10am-5pm.
The philosophy of Creative Spaces is seeing the strength in people rather than the label, empowering community through creativity.
If you'd like to get involved in their worshops or volunteer or donate to these community services, call Shona on 04 299 6981 or info@tearakorowai.org.nz or Denis at The Shed Project on 04 297 2713 info@shedproject.co.nz
