Teenagers leaving the juvenile justice system to find jobs have embellished Cairns’ parks, pathways and underpasses as part of the Council’s Youth Urban Art programme.
A young team from the Transitions 2 Success Youth Justice program learned new skills, prepared and cleaned up mural sites, and created designs for four new public artworks across the region.
Sites for murals are assigned according to a set of criteria, focusing primarily on areas affected by graffiti and marking.
Division 3 Councilman Cathy Zeiger said the new murals, led by artists Daniel (Wally) Wallwork and Violent Shaban, were hand-painted or spray-painted on unique sites during the project’s latest run. Youth Urban Art.
“The team had some very interesting ‘canvases’ to work with this year – an outdoor ping pong table in Trinity Park, a skate park in Edmonton, an electrical box in Mooroobool and, in my municipal division of Woree, a walkway underground and a trail,” said Cr Zeiger.
“The results are colorful, beautiful and tell stories about people and places in the area – they will be a source of great pride for local neighborhoods.
“Projects like these provide young people in Cairns with increased opportunities for connection, participation, mentorship and creative expression.
“These young individuals have given the community a gift with their hard work and creative ideas.”
Mr. Wallwork led the project at the Todd Park/Edmonton Skate Park and Gordon Creek sites.
“Before we started the design, we talked about what’s around us, what’s going on in the Gordon Creek area, and what activities people do, and from there the design grew quite a bit. organic,” Wallwork said.
“I myself grew up here and have lived in the area all my life, so I know it quite well.
“With the design, we worked on the tracks and footprints of people, birds, tires and painted them on the sidewalk, underpass and pillars.
“Kids worked with tools and cleaning supplies, talked and learned to mix colors as part of the project.”
The Youth Urban Arts Project has been in existence for several years. Project 2022 brings the total number of murals painted across the region, from Babinda to the Northern Beaches, to 18 as part of the Youth Urban Art Program.
