#Tumaruofficiallyrocks

An art project that’s taken the district by storm has been officially recognised with a hand painted Timaru Rock being presented to Mayor Damon Odey.

The TimaruRocks project was launched earlier in the year, inspired by other rock groups throughout the world, it enabled the whole community to take part in a giant, artistic game of hide and seek in the district’s outdoor spaces.

Local artist and president of the Friends of the Aigantighe, Roselyn Fauth, created the Facebook Group #TimaruRocks at the end of January. Over the past few months, the group has seen over 1,800 people join, with over 34,000 people talking about it on Facebook.

“The creating, hiding and finding is a modern day treasure hunt, and it’s one that everyone big and small, young and old can take part in. It is in-expensive and Timaru people are getting on board of the craze in a big way,” said Roselyn.

“The rocks have been hidden all over Timaru in public parks and playgrounds. It’s been fantastic to hear how beneficial the project has been for many people from using the rocks to as an excuse to be more active, to using it as a way of improving their mental health.”

The Timaru Rock, was presented to Mayor Damon Odey today at the Aigantighe Sculpture Garden as thanks for the support the council had provided to the project and to launch of the Great Easter rock hunt. It was painted by Blake Hide a chef at the Oxford, taking more than 20 hours to create.

“I am really interested to see how the Easter event will go. We thought it would be a cool idea to encourage folks to create Easter themed rocks, and to hide them at the Aigantighe Sculpture Garden on Easter Sunday. The more people that come down and hide their rocks, the more fun everyone will have trying to find them,” said Roselyn.

“We have prize rocks from various organisations and business too. Even the local fire service are getting on board with their own prize rocks promoting fire safety messages to the rocker community.

“We are so pleased to hold the event at the Aigantighe Sculpture Garden, it is the perfect venue for this sort of event. And it helps to help spread the word that even through the historic house is currently closed, the sculpture garden and the modern extension are still open.”

In February the Aigantighe Art Gallery helped to host a painting picnic, where 750 people attended. The Aigantighe, among other organisations donated prize rocks, which are continuing to be hidden in the gallery gardens. The prizes enable people to make more rocks.

For those who don’t win one of the prizes, the Timaru Rocks group also have two community rock boxes containing everything you need to create your own masterpieces. These can be borrowed from the group through the facebook page.

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