by Greta Yeoman
While Timaru now has three wall-sized murals in the centre of the town, smaller artworks popping up in the suburbs have also been catching the attention of residents.
Five Chorus telecommunications boxes around town have been decorated with the work of two Christchurch-based artists, Nick Lowry and Anne McDonald.
The cabinet art initiative by telecommunications company Chorus, in partnership with environmental organisation Keep New Zealand Beautiful, first began in Auckland in 2010, as a way of brightening up the boxes that often get targeted by taggers.
The scheme has since spread around the country, including to Timaru.
Lowry painted three animal-themed cabinets earlier this year, while McDonald took to the box-sized canvases last week.
Lowry’s artworks can be seen on the corner of Hassall and Rhodes Sts, as well as at the T-intersection of Orbell and Seddon Sts and at 56 Wilson St.
McDonald painted a parrot on a box on Wai-iti Rd, just by the Salvation Army, and was busy painting mountain flowers on another cabinet at 10 Rhodes St when The Courier passed by last Thursday.
She said several people had pulled over and stopped to chat while she was painting.
A Chorus spokeswoman said the company usually sought out local artists when painting boxes, but they did not get any Timaru submissions for the first round of artworks.
She hoped more interest would be generated by next year’s round, which was expected to open about May.
For more information on the Cabinet Art Initiative, visit www.chorus.co.nz/blog/cabinet-art-gallery.
T-intersection of Orbell and Seddon Sts.
