Chris Newman's tribute to Jean Batten, on Springfield Rd took him a weekend to complete. Photo/Stephen Parker
Chris Newman's tribute to Jean Batten, on Springfield Rd took him a weekend to complete. Photo/Stephen Parker
It's not often a roadside telecommunications cabinet stops traffic - but Rotorua's newly painted Chorus boxes are doing just that.
Keen eyed locals from Western Heights to Springfield to Te Ngae may have noticed cabinet boxes on the footpath being adorned in eye-catching art over the last few weeks.
It's all part of Chorus' national Cabinet Art Programme where the company invited artists to submit design ideas for 11 of its boxes around Rotorua.
Emerging local artists Jacob Chrisohoou, Chris Newman, Mark Noble, Nicola Spijkerbosch and Rebecca Shrimpton were selected and assigned boxes on which to get creative. Chorus paid them a fee as well as the cost of materials and an anti-graffiti coating.
Rotorua District Council community arts officer Marc Spijkerbosch said even at $1000 a box it worked out cheaper for Chorus than having to continually clean up tagging and graffiti.
He said the scheme had brought back great memories for him - about 20 years ago he painted lakes on 27 cabinets in the CBD.
Mr Spijkerbosch said that had given him his start as an artist and the same could happen for the five involved in the Chorus programme.
Up and coming artist Mr Newman had four of his 'Rotorua Icons' designs chosen by Chorus.
He has completed one of Rotorua-born aviator Jean Batten on Springfield Rd and this week put the finishing touches to Sir Howard Morrison on Rimu St, Glenholme.
A Castlecorp worker by day, he'd previously produced his art mainly for family and friends as well as selling some on Trade Me.
"I heard about the opportunity and thought it would be good to do . . . to do art work on a public scale and to a broader audience."
On the side of the boxes, he has included information about the Rotorua icons he's depicted.
"There's a bio down the side to educate kids. Some don't have a clue who Jean Batten is."
Mr Newman said the feedback had been awesome, both from local residents and those passing by.
"People stop in the middle of the street, stop their cars and give you the thumbs up."
He said his final two icons would be late historian Don Stafford and "maybe" actor Cliff Curtis.
Mr Newman said residents he spoke to were "fed up" with the tagging on their fences and buildings.
