I was commissioned to collaborate with the Meredith Primary School students to paint a mural on a shipping container in the Meredith Community Garden. The collaboration consisted of meeting with students to determine their ideas for the mural. They requested the local farming landscape with a ‘healthy water way for platypus to live in’. They also requested a sunset and tree hollow for wombats. Drawing and painting workshops were held where the students created animals and plants painting them onto agricultural plastic. These were cut out and attached to the mural. A celebration was held at the end to acknowledge the work with a sausage sizzle and local music.
The facilitation of the painting of a mural was initiated for the cubby house at Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School in Santa Teresa, Northern Territory. The project was a collaboration between an emerging local artist, local residents, teachers and the children. Residents requested that the local landscape be represented as well as cultural stories pertaining to the area. An emerging artist designed and painted the illustrated animals, plants and rocks. The story being told is of how the crow and magpie became black and black and white. Children contributed to the mural by painting animals and plants onto wooden cutouts. These were attached to the mural. The mural is interactive with flaps to be opened revealing animals such as a joey in the kangaroo’s pouch. Stories can also be told using the mural as a prop.