Mural Masterpieces – Owairaka District School

Location:
Owairaka District School; 113 Richardson Road, Mt Albert, Auckland. At the school entrance gate and around the junior court.

Team:
The project was led by artist and parent Sara Hughes and painted by the 400 children who attend Owairaka District School – Year 0-6.

Accessible to public:
Yes.

Mural theme:
Celebrates the diverse cultures of Owairaka District School.

Background to mural creation:
The Patter Project opened on the first day of Term 2, the first time in 2022 that it was possible under the orange traffic light setting for all the children at Owairaka District School to gather together to celebrate the opening of their new 200 sq metre pavement painting.

“It’s a fantastic way to start the term” says the school’s Principal Shery Fletcher, “we were thrilled to be able to work with parent and artist Sara Hughes and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to take part in this very special project."

The Pattern Project, Te Hingonga Pūtaketake is the initiative of prominent Auckland artist Sara Hughes, well known for her striking artworks that appear in galleries and in public spaces throughout New Zealand. She decided to apply her skills to invigorate the school her two sons attend. “Owairaka is a fantastic primary school with dedicated teachers and staff, this was my way of giving back to the school. I wanted to transform a part of the school that had become run down. I worked with all the students in the school, it’s a truly collaborative artwork that all the children can be very proud of”.

Hughes consulted the school community to select patterns that reflect the diverse cultures of the school. “The final artwork celebrates children’s creativity and imagination, it was important to me that the ideas were child led, that they bring their own interpretation and ideas to the patterns” says Hughes.

Hughes planned the artwork as a welcoming mat to students, whanau and visitors to the school, the painting starts at the entrance to the school and leads down and around the court. The patterns are painted on the ground, as opposed to on a wall allowing students to interact with the patterns as they go about their school day.

“The aim was to work in partnership with a professional artist to deliver a creative experience for students/akonga” said Associate Principal, Deb Cramer. “It has been exciting to see the project come to fruition, we are so lucky to have a pavement painting of this scale and complexity – its unique to our school”.