Newcastle property owners are being asked a BIG favour this month.
Keen to deliver an additional wow factor to its annual three-day arts festival, organisers of the Big Picture Fest are seeking large-scale tall buildings to add a splash of colour to this September.
Armed with a $160,000 City of Newcastle (CN) SBR funding budget, the popular spring event is set to extend beyond the CBD this year, delivering a program from the West to East End and a first-time mural in Wallsend.
The free festival program is a collaboration between BPF, City of Newcastle, local businesses, cultural institutions and other partners.
Its aim is to bring people out onto the city streets to watch the creation of a legacy in the form of a walking arts trail exhibition for future visitors and generations to come.
“Contributing to the cultural identity of the city, the murals will bring people into town, improving business engagement and creating safe public spaces,” say BPF organisers.
“A hero element of this project is the installation of a large-scale tall building mural.”
To bring this feature to life, BPF and City of Newcastle are seeking expressions of interest from suitable property owners/developers in Newcastle’s city centre interested in contributing to a large-scale mural on their site.
Walls should be at least two storeys high or 20m in length, located within the city precinct and/or Darby Street and significantly visible to the public.
Applications must be submitted online by 5pm on Friday 1 March.
Suitable applicants will be contacted by 15 March, artists will be selected by April, before a final design is approved in July for a September installation.
The BPF project is one of 15 to share in almost $1 million in the latest round of the City Centre and Darby Street Special Business Rate program.
The program sees tariffs collected from businesses in Newcastle City Centre/Darby Street, Hamilton, Mayfield, New Lambton and Wallsend for the promotion, beautification and development of those precincts.
“Council’s SBR program creates vibrant, activated spaces for the community and visitors to enjoy,” Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said.
For more on Big Picture Fest:
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
