Whakatāne District Council has teamed up once again with Chorus to bring works of art to a neighbourhood near you.

The Chorus Cabinet Art initiative provides an opportunity for local artists to paint their communities beautiful by transforming plain Chorus cabinetry into beautiful, bright designs. 

Applications are now open and Council Reserves Planner, Kayla Warren, says it’s a great opportunity for artists to showcase their talents and put their mark on the district.

“We’re really excited to once again be teaming up with Chorus to deliver this positive initiative.” 

Kayla adds, “It’s a win-win for our communities. We get fantastic art works in our streetscape which often tell the stories about the communities the cabinets are in, the initiative provides work for, and promotion of, our local artists, and they help to discourage tagging.”

This year another two cabinets have been selected for beautification, one in Coastlands and one in Ōhope. The winning design for each cabinet will be chosen from entries received. 

Chorus Community Relations Manager Jo Seddon says it makes sense to partner with local councils, as they know their communities best.  

“We are really pleased to work with Whakatāne District Council again and we’re looking forward to seeing what local artists come up with.” 

Jo adds, “We had some outstanding cabinet murals completed in the district in previous years, several of which have made it into our annual Chorus Cabinet Art Calendar.”  

To undertake the work, the winning artists are entitled to remuneration of between $1200 - $1700 depending on the cabinet size. 

Applications close on 1 October 2024. All finished art will be included on the Chorus website and will be considered for the 2025 Chorus Cabinet Art calendar, copies of which are sent around the world.

For more information and to apply head to www.whakatane.govt.nz/cabinetart.

Photo caption: Artwork completed in July 2024 by Lori Pittard – located on Pakeha Street in Matatā.