Wellington Construction Company Collaborates With Local Schools To Create Mural Art For Frank Kitts Park Redevelopment

Local Wellington construction company Armstrong Downes Commercial (ADC) has revamped its wooden hoarding at the Frank Kitts Park Redevelopment site. It is now acting as a gallery for murals painted by students from local schools depicting what they love about Wellington’s waterfront.

This ties in with the new nautical and coastal themed playground, which is set to be completed in October 2022. The art will be featured around the site works for the duration of the project.

Armstrong Downes Commercial is the main contractor carrying out the redevelopment and initiated the mural project, with support from Wellington City Council (WCC). The purpose of the mural project is to highlight the creativity of Wellington’s tamariki (children), engage with those who will be enjoying the playground the most, and celebrate the redevelopment of the park.

Natalie Clausen, Project Manager at Wellington City Council thinks that the murals are a fantastic addition to the playground redevelopment project, and almost as exciting.

“WCC would like to thank the Directors of Armstrong Downes Commercial, Marketing Manager, Ashleigh Yi and Senior Project Manager, Michael Walding for the school artworks project,” she said. “This initiative was dreamt up by the awesome team at ADC who have led the engagement with nearby schools, providing the brief, purchasing and delivering materials to schools. In return the teachers and tamariki have exceeded our wildest expectations, producing brilliant, original, and bright artworks.”

Ashleigh Yi, Marketing Manager at Armstrong Downes Commercial is thrilled with the outcome of the mural project.

“This has been a really special opportunity for tamariki across Wellington to be part of the evolution of Frank Kitts Park,” she said. “Armstrong Downes Commercial is really proud of this project, and it has been amazing to work with local schools to get them excited about Wellington’s latest and greatest playground.”

Feedback from schools has been overwhelmingly positive. Anya MacDonald and Joseph McAuley are Years 5-6 teachers from Clyde Quay School and are both very pleased to have taken part in the project. It also doubled as an opportunity to keep tamariki connected, even when over half of their class were at home isolating.

“In such unsettling times, [the tamariki] have really enjoyed having a creative outlet and something to look forward to each day. It was important to our tauira (students) to have a mural full of colour, and something that would stand out to them,” they said. “We brainstormed, designed and painted the piece as a rōpū (collective), and tamariki commented that it never felt like anyone was 'in charge' or 'the boss'. They were able to practice their negotiation skills, learn to compromise and celebrate others’ success. They eagerly waited for their name to be called to be the daily artist and loved the chance to add their own flair to the masterpiece.”

Creative hoarding initiatives have been more common in recent years, utilised as a tool to beautify construction sites and showcase artists whilst mitigating vandalism.

Schools involved in this project include Thorndon School, Karori West Normal School, Worser Bay School, Mt Cook School, Discovery School, Clyde Quay School, Roseneath School, and Otari School – Te Kura o Otari.

The murals have been displayed on the promenade-facing side of the site, which is both a high-profile and high-foot traffic zone. The wooden hoarding also features viewing panels for anyone to have a look through to see the progress of the construction works.

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