An exhibition of Opotiki's murals will be heading to Washington after its current showing at Te Papa. The invitation to take part in the display of international Youth Art in Public Places (YAPP) was revealed at the Wellington opening by Shona Hammond Boys, the main mover behind the Opotiki initiative.

12 young people travelled to the opening from the Bay of Plenty accompanied by supporters, the Mayor John Forbes, and Police Youth Aid Officer Ian Dobbs.

• These 12 young people represented
• 250 young people, from 12 Opotiki schools, who had painted the murals.  During the time the murals were being planned and painted, Ian Dobbs noted that:
• reported crime fell 50%, and
• graffiti dropped 80%

Local East Coast MP Hon Anne Tolley, Minister of Education, was there too and spoke proudly of the transformation that children from twelve schools in the area had achieved with the support of businesses in the town. There was a contingent of Wellington Police to show their support for the initiative in which Blue Light has been involved from the start. The exhibition was offically opened by Childrens Commissioner John Angus.

See links to the murals at:

• Te Papa
• Opotiki i-Site
• The Tindall Foundation

Behind the murals is a Children's Art House established in Opotiki that has served as a base for the mural project. The Art House Foundation behind the initiative has opened a fabulous new website to coincide with the Te Papa exhibition (here). The philosophy of the Foundation includes:

• It is a fundamental right and necessity for children to explore their creativity within safe, valued community projects.
• That art is the foundation for developing peaceful, beautiful, healthy, happy civilizations.
• The Child Artist is the Visionary of Tomorrow and the Supreme Innovator of Today.
• Creative Children Ensure Creative Communties.

Wellington Central MP, and Labour spokesperson on education, Grant Robertson was there to learn about the Art House established in Opotiki that has served as a base for the mural project. "What they have done in Opotiki is inspiring. We need to copy that for Wellington", he said.

You cannot fail to notice the community spirit and vibrancy of colourful murals in public places all around New Zealand - and Opotiki township is no exception. They capture vivid reflections of the place and its people, including the rich natural and built environment, the strong Maori and settler culture, local history, and small glimpses of Opotiki's future.

The sixteen murals have been created over the past three years by hundreds of local young people, with enthusiastic support from the local Police, an accomplished artist who is also a passionate advocate for children's and young people's art, from local Iwi, Whakatohea, and from many local community agencies, schools and businesses, Opotiki District Council and a range of government agencies and funders, including The Tindall Foundation (visit their website story).

Some of the young artists have assisted with planning the exhibition opening, and will be travelling to Wellington for the event,. They made a presentation at Opotiki District Council this week, outlining their plans and aspirations for the opening and for their visit to the Capital. And Shona Hammond-Boys, the instigator of the Project, unwrapped and showed Council the enormous book which has been produced as part of the exhibition. It tells the story of the Murals, and shows the young people at work. This book is part of the exhibition, standing on a lectern  carved at Opotiki College.

Supporters and young people are hopeful that the Exhibition will increase community awareness about the importance of art for children and young people, and the potential of public art to engender community spirit and sense of belonging, pride and identity. The following link shows a presentation by Shona about the importance and potential of art in community-led development, using photos of some of the Opotiki Murals and young artists involved.

Download a presentation made about the murals here.

There is also a vision that the Exhibition will help boost visitor numbers to Opotiki this summer, and that more people will join the walking tours of the Murals. These tours were initiated last Summer, and include the opportunity to hear the story of the Project and to purchase a copy of Opotiki Youth Murals publication, produced last year as a fundraiser to help enable further Youth Murals.

From the outside, this initiative might look like an art project - but scratch the surface, and it's clear to see the impact is much more widespread. It has created positive changes within and between people, organisations, and the culture of ‘doing things in Opotiki'. The Project demonstrates community-led development using art as a medium. It will be well worth a visit from late September through to December to see the Magnificent Murals at Te Papa.

Barbara MacLennan, Inspiring Communities BoP Convenor