Young Canterbury Artists Seek Support To Brighten Up Child And Youth Mental Health Unit

New Zealanders are being asked to choose one of three talented young artists to add colour and vibrancy to Ōtautahi’s child and youth mental health outpatient unit.

The public vote for the Together Greater Mural Project opens online today (Monday 16 May).

The Together Greater Mural Project is a collaboration between Westpac NZ, youth artist programme The Creators’ Room, and Māia Health Foundation. The Project has seen young artists submit sketches for a mural, to be located at the current outpatient facilities at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Cashmere.

Three finalists have been chosen and the public is now being asked to vote for their favourite design. The winning artist will be commissioned to turn their sketch into a reality. They’ll also receive a $2,500 prize from Westpac, five hours mentorship with an established mural artist, and ten hours of education and development to further support their artistic career development.

The competition is the brainchild of the team at Westpac’s Christchurch office, who recently visited the hospital and saw an opportunity to add some vibrancy to the facilities where our tamariki and rangatahi are currently treated.

“It’s really important to us that our young people are given the support they need to thrive. Our local team is proud to get behind this mural project, which will be a great addition to the facility and help contribute to better health outcomes for Ōtautahi youth,” Westpac NZ CEO Catherine McGrath says.

“We’re also pleased to be helping showcase the work of up-and-coming Christchurch artists. We encourage people to support this important initiative by getting on our Facebook and Instagram pages to check out all three amazing designs.”

Westpac is a Founding Business Partner of Māia Health Foundation. The Foundation’s current major focus is to raise $6 million for a modern, fit-for-purpose outpatient facility for child and youth mental health in Canterbury. So far Māia has raised more than $3 million, with work on the new facility due to be completed in late 2023.

Māia Health Foundation Chief Executive Michael Flatman says having an industry-leading corporate partner like Westpac getting involved in Māia’s projects at this grassroots level is humbling and inspiring.

“Having Westpac support our tamariki and rangatahi through a tangible and engaging idea like the Together Greater Mural Project is so meaningful. This project showcases and supports the incredible talents of Canterbury’s youth while adding vibrancy to our current mental health treatment spaces. It will lift the spirits of our dedicated mental health workforce and the children and young people they treat as we work to bring our new state-of-the-art facility to life,” says Mr Flatman.

The three finalists are:

• Oli Aikawa, 17 years, whose mural sketch is inspired by Sumner and Cave Rock on a summer’s day;
• Max Drummond, 20 years, whose submission showcases a New Zealand nature scene;
• Ella Ward, 19 years, who has presented a colourful sketch titled The Pohutakawa Pathway.

The Creators’ Room co-founder Sophie Paterson says the Together Greater Mural Project is a fantastic community project for their database of young artists to be involved in.

“Validation for their artistic talents outside the classroom is a huge boost for these young artists’ self-confidence and own mental wellbeing and encourages them to continue with a practice they get great satisfaction from. Having Westpac recognise the value and dedicate their time to this project is truly heartening,” says Ms Paterson.

Voting will open at 12 pm on Monday 16 May via the Westpac, Māia, and The Creators’ Room Facebook pages. Voting closes on Sunday 23 May.

The artist who receives the most votes will be commissioned to produce the mural, due to be unveiled at the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit at The Princess Margaret Hospital in early July. The Mural will be shifted to its forever home at the new child and youth outpatient facility when it opens.

To vote follow the links below:

https://www.facebook.com/maiahealth

https://www.facebook.com/WestpacNZ

https://www.facebook.com/thecreatorsroomnz/

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