Design submissions invited for Chorus Cabinet Art initiative in Whanganui

Previous winner Linda Hardie chose health symbols for this Chorus box near Whanganui Hospital and depicted rongoa Māori medicinal plants as well as Red Cross and caduceus symbols. Photo / Chorus

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 selected for beautification and artists are encouraged to submit their designs before the deadline of Thursday, August 31.

Chorus community relations manager Jo Seddon said 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 adviser Anique Jayasinghe, who will be collating the design submissions and working with the selected artists, said the finished cabinets would be murals communities can be proud of, often telling stories of the areas where 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,” said Jayasinghe.

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,” Seddon said.

The cabinet art initiative began in 2010 with a test pilot in Auckland to try to reduce the amount of vandalism to telecommunications cabinets and has continued since it proved a success.

Design submissions are now open and the winning design for each cabinet will be chosen from entries received. The cabinet locations are 346 Somme Pde, Aramoho; 3 Cross St, Castlecliff; 106 State Highway 4, Putiki; and 32 Ridgway St, Central (Rainbow cabinet art initiative).

For more information on the application process, contact the creative community adviser at anique.jayasinghe@whanganui.govt.nz or 06 349 3086, or Jo Seddon, Chorus community relations manager at 027 655 5135.