Whanganui River story evolves out of print

It's 20m long and is made of 42 panels, each one produced by a different artist.

It's the Whanganui River Print, a woodcut representation of the Whanganui River on paper.

The project was organised by Graham Hall, a printmaker and art teacher at Whanganui High School.

"I came up with the idea as a way of acknowledging the community of printmaking artists in Whanganui. We always hear about glass artists, but there are many printmakers as well," Mr Hall said.

"I'm also hoping it will generate a lot of conversation about the river."

The printmakers range from established artists in the field to Year 9 students at Whanganui High School. Workshops were held to teach novices the techniques of woodcuts.

As well as printmakers from Whanganui, some from Wellington and Auckland have also contributed panels.

"It was up to the artists themselves how they interpret the brief," Mr Hall said.

The print image was made in a woodcut before being put on paper.

He said the artwork, which was printed last weekend, came together very easily in the end.

"With so many people, it could have been a nightmare."

And Mr Hall is hoping to find a suitable venue to hang the print in - he's hoping the i-Site will accept it.

"I think it will look great hanging in the atrium area."

For more information visit http://www.whanganuiriverprint.com.