11 Sep 2019Dunedin artist Claire Rye unveils award-winning mural on Lorne Street Dunedin artist, Claire Rye, has unveiled her award-winning mural on the toilet block of Dunedin’s busy Lorne Street. Claire was one of ten winners from across the country who took out the top prize in Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s (KNZB) Resene Nature Murals Competition 2019. The mural, titled ‘‘How Wetland Help”, depicts why wetlands are so important to our ecosystem and why they should be valued and protected. On completion of the mural Claire said: “I loved painting this mural. It was fantastic to be able to contribute to the makeover of Lorne Street, South Dunedin and bring some colourful art into the street. Thank you to KNZB and Resene for enabling me to give this to the community. The mural celebrates some of the wetland birds that can be found in Otago. Wetlands are very important for biodiversity, flood protection and storing carbon”. The Resene Nature Murals Competition, which is part of the Paint New Zealand Beautiful programme, ran from February – April 2019, with artists encouraged to submit mural designs which included an environmental message. Artists from around the country sent in their designs, with the top ten murals selected based on their environmental message, enhancement of the community, and originality/creativity. Winning designs receive a $1000 grant upon completion, along with a $750 Resene paint voucher and other materials to paint their mural. KNZB CEO, Heather Saunderson, said: “KNZB is proud to partner with Resene again this year to deter vandalism and Paint New Zealand Beautiful. Numerous studies have shown the great impact murals have on their surrounding communities – from increasing civic pride, to a reduction in anti-social behaviour such as littering and graffiti. Together with Resene, we’re excited to see Claire’s mural come to life and to help Dunedin beautify their corner of New Zealand”. Claire Rye’s award-winning mural ‘How Wetland Help’ on the toilet block of Dunedin’s busy Lorne Street. The ten winning artists and regions are listed below, with their designs visible on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website. Yeon Seo Kim – Auckland Sara Fernandez – Auckland Luther Ashford – South Taranaki Stan Mans – Hastings Jil Sergent – Central Hawkes Bay Isobel Te Aho-White – Wellington Rosa Friend – Wellington Hannah Starnes – Nelson Madison Kelly – Dunedin Claire Rye – Dunedin Share this page
