The crowds will soon gather as a crew of hand-picked
artists bring the beautiful to Hamilton East in the 8th
annual Boon Street Art Festival, from the 3rd ‘til the 5th
of November.
Artist Kell Sunshine in
the 2019 Boon Street Art Festival photo credit Tim
Carter
The Festival is exactly what it says
on the (Resene) tin – a free, family-friendly experience
designed to enliven Hamilton. This year Boon is painting
five murals in Hamilton East and two in the Central City.
“We’ve brought the aroha to Frankton, we’ve brought
the aroha to Dinsdale… now it’s Ham East’s turn!”
says Boon team member Sasha Mclaren.
This year Boon is
putting the whole whanau into the picture by running their
first ‘Art Hunt’ competition. They’re inviting people
both big and small to visit all 7 mural sites, pick up a
map, collect the stamps, and leave their entry at Hayes
Common where a winner will be drawn!
Taking to the
streets to paint their amazing creations will be New Zealand
artists Jesse Mosen, Cinzah, Gary Venn, Kell Sunshine and
Alice Alva. The Japanese artist Koryu, who in 2022 painted
the stunning tiger mural on the wall beside ArtsPost, will
be joining them.
The new artworks will draw people
down the laneways and into local businesses like Jingles
Hairdressers, Hayes Common and Lovegrove Lane as well as
making the walls of the Edo Japanese restaurant and the
Hamilton City Council building on Caro St come to
life.
Ultimately, it’s all about the bigger picture,
says Boon Chair Iain White who is Professor of Environmental
Planning at the University of Waikato. “The Boon Team are
absolutely stoked to bring more street art to the city in
our annual festival. We love how our murals make art an
everyday experience.”
So follow them
@boonartshamilton, grab a map from any of the mural sites,
and join in the
fun!