Walk the City Art Walk
Interactive public art walk will bring life back to Tauranga city centre
A new app-based public art walk will open in Tauranga on 17 October, with the aim of bringing people back into the inner city and connecting them with local stories, artists and artworks.
CITY ART WALK is a self-guided tour of 20 artworks located in Tauranga's city centre. At around an hour, visitors can wander Tauranga’s streets and laneways.
It is the brainchild of Supercut Projects, a Tauranga-based company, led by arts advisor and strategist Sonya Korohina, who is passionate about connecting locals and visitors with cultural tourism experiences.
“We hope, in taking the tour, people will start to see the city with fresh eyes, and come away with a stronger sense of connection to their home or – for visitors – our city. In researching and working with the various artists and art commissioners we have learnt so much about different approaches to public art making, and uncovered some great stories many of which relate to tangata whenua and social history of the region,” Korohina says.
The experience has been designed for people of all ages and abilities, and audiences can engage with CITY ART WALK in different ways – do it all in one go, do some of it, or take it in at their leisure, grabbing a coffee and doing a spot of shopping.
Credit: Anne Shirley
Stop-offs include the famous tidal stairs project by Auckland based artist Elliot Collins, the beautiful sculpture Pōhutakawa, on Tauranga’s waterfront by Tauranga artist Kereama Taepa, and some historical stained glass windows in the library building which were salvaged from Tauranga’s former Town Hall and repurposed in 1989 by local glass artist Neale Blaymires (above).
The tour is free of charge. Audiences can download the free mobile app beforehand, or at any of the artworks via an on-site QR code. Each entry in the app gives an insight into the artwork and the artist who created it
Maps are available from an i-site, Tauranga Art Gallery, Our Place, University of Waikato and other city centre locations. There is a scavenger hunt for kids, as well as a wider community engagement programme over summer.
Creative Bay of Plenty ‘Love Our Laneways’. Credit: Kenrick Rhys
CITY ART WALK is also working with Tauranga Art Gallery to promote the experience to the 9,500 school children that access their education programme annually. The map will form part of their city centre visual arts visitor pack.
Korohina says, “Tauranga’s population has exploded becoming New Zealand’s fifth largest city, a popular place to live, and a beloved holiday spot for many. However, the rate of growth has presented major challenges in housing and infrastructure impacting in particular Tauranga’s city centre where cranes, roadworks, building sites and earthquake strengthening are the current norm. Thanks to new outer-city malls, and a global pandemic driving people away from town - it’s a tough time for Tauranga’s city centre.
“There is an additional problem we see. Tauranga boasts numerous public artworks and some of the best street art in the county, yet most people walk right past without a second thought, they don’t know how to connect with it. We could be like Wellington’s waterfront, with a little help.
“There are great stories to be told and beautiful artworks to experience which are not being enjoyed or shared. Now, during a time of urban transition, Supercut Projects believe placemaking initiatives can play an important role in strengthening the connection people have with our city,” Korohina says.
Accessible 24/7 and during Levels 1, 2 and 3 (for city centre residents), CITY ART WALK is a fun and socially-distanced way to experience art.
It will launch as part of Tauranga Arts Festival’s ESCAPE! Writer’s Pop-Up on the weekend of 17 and 18 October, but will continue into the future.
Korohina says, “Once people have put their tick in a few boxes on Election morning, we’ll be there to help them wind down and venture on a unique inner-city journey.”
The CITY ART WALK app will be available from 17 October on both iOs and Android, via the Google Play and Apple stores.