Drive by Art Project 2004

Drive by

ART

Flying the Flag of Community Creativity and Turning Our Streets into a Dynamic Art Gallery An on-going Public Ar t Projec t of Wellington City Council’s Community Ar ts Office

Community Creativity

E

xpressing creativity is an important part of human existence and the shared experience we call

“community”. Familiar landscapes - and the built environment around us - can be enhanced and made more interesting with the help and participation of an active, vibrant arts community. What’s more, how we express ourselves as people in the urban environment has a lot to say about the quality of life and diversity of influences within our community.

The City of Wellington—and its Community Arts Office—understands this. We actively support creative efforts and ideas that make our environment a vibrant, exciting, meaningful place to live. In many ways, our community is able to define itself through an on-going array of cultural projects: from murals to public art sculptures to careful design and preservation of our buildings; from street performers in Cuba Mall to festival and neighbourhood fairs to opera, dance and symphony concerts; from lectures and live theatre to the Lord of the Rings. Wellington is fast becoming the creative heart and soul of the South Pacific, and is gaining a world-wide reputation as a pioneer in the community arts movement.

Expression, innovation and creativity are at the very heart of this modern-day Renaissance.

D

rive by Art, a unique and simple public art effort, is the newest initiative of Wellington City Council’s Community Arts Programmes.

Urban streets and thoroughfares are about to become much more colourful and expressive. Beginning in January 2004, over two dozen light-posts along Oriental Bay Parade will be installed with vinyl banners, each featuring an original work of art made by local students. Following that, over three dozen light-posts in the CBD

THE ARTS, EXPRESSION OF IDEAS, AND PUBLIC CREATIVITY, SHOULD BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.

and Thorndon Quay will feature banners by Wellington Artists.

The recipe for this project is basic: take an ordinary part of our civic surroundings (the light-post or utility pole), and an under-used aspect of that feature (banners and empty brackets), and enhance the environment by adding original art and banner designs.

Wellington’s professional, established, and emerging artists and all local schools are invited to participate. The objectives are simple: enhance the civic environment, recognise Wellington’s diverse creative forces, make the urban experience more interesting for people on the street, and provide a unique means for public expression. Over time, the Drive by Art banners will be rotated and the exhibition will change as more artists, schools, and even community groups design and produce additional art for display on the street.

Each school to respond to this call for participation will be provided with a blank C-bracket vinyl banner (2.5m x 0.6m), a supply of acrylic paints, and any guidance as needed. Teachers interested in participating should complete the attached form and return as soon as possible. Schools interested in creating more than one design, can obtain additional blank banners at a minimal cost.

Art in Public Places

The introduction of the 30 student Drive by Art banners will coincide with the Grand Opening of the new Oriental Bay Beach in January 2004, and all participating schools, teachers, and students will be invited to attend the celebration. These banners will be displayed through May 2004, and will be returned to each school for further display or possible re-use in subsequent banner projects.

We anticipate that the student banner project, and summer display along Oriental Bay Parade, will become an annual programme to recognise and celebrate the creativity of youth in Wellington.

Established and emerging artists are also invited to participate, and will be provided with a blank banner, paints, and a small honerarium. To get involved, and make your own banner, complete the attached form and return to the Community Arts Office.

The Drive by Art project will turn Wellington’s under-utilised banner sites into a veritable street-level art gallery, and is the beginning of many exciting colourful, creative initiatives. Wellington City Council’s Community Arts Office invites your ideas and participation, as we work to make the urban experience even more interesting for everyone.

Join us with Drive by Art, a simple way to promote local artists, encourage student creativity, display original art in unorthodox settings, and support expression throughout the community.

You'll be helping expand the growing cultural profile of our extraordinary city.

Join us for Drive by Art. Join us and be creative.

Basic information

Drive by Art Banners The Banners will be supplied by the Community Arts Office in the Oriental Bay Rotunda and are known as C Bracket Banners.

Each banner is 2.5m x 600mm, and the fabric is a sturdy 690gsm ripstop PVC. There is a very slight woven texture, and they take acrylic paints very well. A clear over-coating is not necessary, but will help seal and protect the finished banner once it is on display.

Paints Paints will be low-sheen Resene acrylics, provided in test pots of mostly primary and secondary colours. Participants will have a large palette to select from, and five to fifteen test posts should be enough to cover both sides of the banner. Participating schools and artists are welcome to use other paints and materials in creating their banners (as long as the finished banner is durable enough to withstand the wind, rain, and weather).

School Projects Project Dates are August to December for schools making Drive by Art banners for the 30 Oriental Bay Parade sites. Participation will be assigned to the first 30 schools who respond. Beyond that, additional schools may be selected on a space-available basis.

The project will attempt to include as many participants and community locations as possible. If your class or school is interested in making a Drive by Art banner, it is important to reply as soon as possible.

School deadline Finished school banners must be returned to the Community Arts Office by December 5, 2003, in order to be readied and installed by January 2004. School Banners will be displayed through May 2004, and will be thereafter provided to the participating school for possible display or re-use. Blank banners and paints will be available to participating schools for pick-up at the Wellington Arts Centre, upon return of the attached participation form.

STUDENTS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO CREATE DESIGNS THAT REFLECT THE SUMMERTIME, BEACH ACTIVITIES, WATERSPORTS, AQUATIC ANIMALS AND PLANTS, OR LANDMARKS IN AND AROUND WELLINGTON

More Basic information

Possible themes Because the school banner project will be introduced as part of the summer opening of the Oriental Bay Beach, students will be encouraged to create designs that reflect the summertime, beach activities, watersports, aquatic animals and plants, or landmarks in and around Wellington. This is not a requirement, and students will be free to create any design they wish.

Artist Banners There is no deadline for artist-designed banners, as these will be installed on a rolling basis. Those interested in making a Drive by Art banner should complete and return the attached form.

Signage Each light-post will have a small sign attached at the street level, to credit the student, school, teacher, artist and sponsor involved with each banner. This sign will also explain the Drive by Art project and the City of Wellington's Community Arts mission.

A word from Our Creative Partner Resene is an avid supporter of art, design and colour in the community and assists with numerous creative projects each year.

We fully support efforts to beautify our communities with works of art and public creativity. Resene see the use of strong bold colour as the perfect way to transform dull urban areas into exciting aspects of city life. Art, after all, enhances the spirit, identity and pride of our neighbourhoods and our neighbours alike. Wellington has always been home to Resene, from our earliest days of production in 1946 in an Eastbourne garage. Resene is delighted to sponsor the Drive By Arts program and help enliven the city that we are all proud to call home.

Participation form

If you are interested in participating in the Drive by Art project, and in creating a banner for display in Wellington, please complete the following form and fax to 04-385-3987 or post to Wellington Arts Centre, Wellington City Council, P. O. Box 2199, Wellington. If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please contact Eric Vaughn Holowacz, Community Arts Co-ordinator at 04-385-1929 or Arts@wcc.govt.nz Name of School/Artist: _________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________ or _______________________________

âœ

Email: ______________________________________________________________ For Schools Name of Teacher/Primary Contact: _______________________________________ Class Level/Name: ____________________________________________________ Number of Students to Participate: _______________________________________ Would your school like to be provided with additional blank banners at a cost of $60 each, for use in the Drive by Art project? If so, how many?

Would your school/class be able to attend the Grand Opening of the Oriental Bay Beach, to celebrate the Drive by Art banners, scheduled for January 19, 2004?

Participation form

Do you have any suggestions or ideas that might help improve this project, expand the creativity, or encourage participation among other community groups, locations, or organisations?

Wellington’s Community Arts Office is developing an Artist-in-Residence programme that would help encourage, support, and fund the appearance of local artists at schools and community centres. Participating artists will include mural painters, musicians, poets, sculptors, dancers, story-tellers, and as many other art forms as possible. Residency activities will comprise short-term projects, special activities, workshops, master classes, and other things that can be worked into the curriculum, expand after-school opportunities, or enhance the creative potential of a school, organisation, or centre. Additional information will be available in 2004. We always welcome ideas, suggestions, and comments.

âœ