Time to paint the town red, yellow, blue...

Published: 12 May 2017

Have you been waiting for the chance to leave your mark on Napier?

Napier City Council, in association with Chorus, is once again holding a cabinet art competition and welcoming applications from artists keen to create designs for 10 currently unadorned cabinets owned by the company.

Even better, Chorus will pay each successful artist $1000 per painted box, and will reimburse the cost of each artist’s materials.

Unlike last year, there is no theme – artists are free to let their imaginations run wild!

This year’s cabinet locations are; York Ave, Hyderabad Road, Latham Street, Wharerangi Road, Niven Street, the corner of Kenny Road and Te Awa Ave, McGrath Street, Coventry Ave, Plunket Street, and Leicester Street.

Turning these plainly painted boxes into works of art has proved a great defence against graffiti. The boxes often tell stories about the communities in which they are located and bring new meaning to the term “street art”.

Chorus will make the final decision on which artists are selected, and arrange for images of all finished art to be included on the Chorus website. They may also be considered for the annual Chorus Cabinet Art Calendar.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton is delighted that Chorus has once again undertaken this project here in Napier. “Our reputation for beautiful and accessible street art is growing every year and I’m all for it. Alongside our wonderful murals, which I’m a big fan of, I’m looking forward to seeing our local artists’ take on wider themes close to their hearts. I would love to see some of our new citizens to New Zealand, young students and the young at heart make their mark on these cabinets.”

Applications must include the following: a brief bio of the applicant, including contact details, an A4 sketch of the design, the location chosen, and a short description of the meaning behind the design.

Multiple applications from the same person will be accepted, and each application will be considered for more than one location if indicated by the applicant.

Applications close at 5pm on Friday 30 June. All applications can be emailed to Wikitoria Murphy or by post to Napier City Council, 231 Hastings Street, Napier 4110, ATTN Wikitoria Murphy.

Image caption: Artist Cinzah Merkens transformed this cabinet into a work of art in 2016.

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