The mural would represent new growth and had elements that symbolised inclusion, opportunity, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and which would highlight that it was a creative space.
“It’s a very thought-out and meaningful design, with the colours having significant meaning too. The black represents Te Pō or Te Kore, the nothing - Papatūānuku and Ranginui’s embrace; the white is representative of Te Ao Mārama - the world of light; and red represents new life, much like the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.”
Rotherham said everyone was welcome, even if you just wanted to go and watch.
“You may ask, ‘I’m not a painter, can I come and play my guitar?’. The answer is yes, yes you can. We’re looking forward to the community being involved however they can.”
The opportunity to have a community art project was incredible and there were endless benefits, she said.
These included bringing people together - some of whom were not regularly engaging in other constructive social activities - fostering connections between participants and therefore increasing the city’s sense of community as well as individuals’ social networks, providing an avenue for the arts which was great for general wellbeing, producing a source of pride for residents in the community and increasing their sense of connection to our city.
“This project was made possible with funding from Rotorua Civic Arts Trust, so we would like to wholeheartedly express our gratitude.”
The Details
What: ’Mural Mai’ Community Mural Project
When: Now until Tuesday, April 25, 12pm to 6pm
Where: The Arts Village, Studio 2
