The north face of the castle with the disputed artwork.
The north face of the castle with the disputed artwork.
Helen Craig is the Whanganui District Council deputy mayor
OPINION
By now most of you know the council will paint over the partially completed mural on the castle at Kowhai Park. It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances but could have been avoided if the artist had sought pre-approval for her plans from the owner of the site - the council.
The decision to paint over it was made by a group of independent artists and art professionals based in Whanganui and it wasn’t lightly taken - this is the first time this has occurred. The Public Art Advisory Group regularly considers proposals from artists for public art ranging from murals to sculptures.
The Advisory Group volunteer their time to consider proposals and work with the artists for the best outcomes. Sometimes the artworks aren’t approved because they aren’t the best for the site and other times they are approved.
Before the decision was made to paint over the partially completed mural, the artist was given the opportunity to present her concept for the entire site. The Advisory Group agreed unanimously the subject didn’t fit well with the castle theme, was very dark and not suitable for small children as it’s a bit scary and some characters were likely to be under copyright from Disney etc.
I realise many of you like the mural and think this is a waste, but others also agree the mural isn’t great for the site. No one is a winner from this situation, and while it shouldn’t cost much to paint over, everyone is feeling bruised by the experience.
"Railroad Crossing" at the castle.
Artists in Whanganui who regularly create murals and public art sculptures, including this artist, know of this requirement to work with the Advisory Group and obtain permission from the council before painting on one of their buildings or putting an artwork into a public space.
This helps keep standards high, subject matter appropriate and gives an opportunity for all artists to submit proposals, so we get a great range of art and artists represented in the community spaces.
Once a public artwork is created, it becomes the responsibility of the council to maintain it, so that’s also a big consideration in approving any artwork. This is a big site, so the cost of keeping any artwork in a good state will be the council’s long-term responsibility.
The council also administers a grant fund for public art of $30,000 per annum. Artists regularly put forward proposals for this funding and those applications are also considered by the Advisory Group.
A scene inside the castle.
The castle was built in 1972 and designed by local architects Prince, McCallum and Harvey. It was never designed to be painted but I do agree it’s not particularly appealing as a play space.
Culturally it harks back to dungeons and dragons, knights and princesses and should be an attractive space for even the youngest child and open to a wide range of uses and imaginative play by children. I’d be really interested in hearing from the community about their ideas for the space as I do not think it’s functioning well now.
