New Zealand Art Monthly, October 2004

Boys Life - photographic essay exhibit about teenage boys, shot by teenage boys at Wellington City Library October 11-17

Monday, October 11 - 6pm Public Opening, Presentation & Meet the Photographers

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Scenes from the Lives of Local Boys

Innovative student photography project to exhibit new images created by students at Wellington High School.

Creative educator and community arts activist Julie Esh had a unique idea for Wellington: give disposable cameras to high school boys, ask them to become researchers and visual thinkers, and then get them capturing scenes from their daily lives and the world as they see it. She called her project 'Boys Life', and solicited the help of local businesses, teachers, and Wellington City Council's Community Arts office.

Thanks to a generous response, and a group of creative students from Wellington High School, the project took shape in September 2004. The results - dozens of photographic essays about what it's like to be a young person in New Zealand's capital city - will be on view at the Wellington Main Library from October 11 to 17. The public is invited to meet the young photographers at the opening reception on Monday, 11 October at 6pm.

"I tried to encourage the boys to speak for themselves instead of being passive subjects," said Esh, "and empower them to articulate their emotions, think about photography in a more personal light, and share their identity."

Instead of framing the world according to adult perceptions of teenage boys and the adolescent world, Esh's project encouraged the participants to document their own perceptions of life as young people. It also provided a forum for them to be creative, engaged, and aware of visual elements.

"While there are many photographers documenting their own interpretation of youth culture and young people, the Boys Life project allows the students to speak for themselves," said Esh. "It asks the boys to develop their own thoughts and conclusions, and present the visual information that they feel is important."

Eric Holowacz, Community Arts Co-ordinator for Wellington City Council immediately saw the benefits of the Boys Life project.

"Projects like Boys Life and the photography process also help instil a sense of confidence in the participants," said Holowacz. "Helping them realize their creative potential, become more expressive, and think about identity, relationships, and the world around us."

Holowacz helped Esh get the project off the ground, and notes that this project is a good indication that the creative city is constantly happening all around us.

The Boys Life project would not have been possible without the generous support of Wellington High School, Photography by Woolf, Art's OK, Photech, Gordon Harris, Wellington Photographic Society, and the Main Library.

Student work from the Boys Life project will be displayed at the Wellington City Library from October 11-17. For more information about this project and exhibition, contact Julie Esh on 021 250 0645 or by email at JulieAEsh@hotmail.com

Communities Online, October 2004

Weliington City Council have issued the following opportunity for Artists.

Urban Artists Wanted!!!!!!

Promenade Artists, the organisers of the Murals on Traffic Signal Boxes Scheme are seeking artists for the next ten signal boxes in Wellington's CBD. Here is a chance to make an original design and get your work on the streets.

"We have the funding from a WCC Arts and Cultural Grant; we have selected the signal boxes in association with WCC Traffic Management officers; all we need now are the artists" says Kristelle Plimmer, the Creative Director of the scheme.

"Artists receive all the materials and small honorarium in addition to having their work in the public arena. It is a way of enlivening the built environment as well as creating opportunities for both artist and pedestrian."

Traffic Signal boxes are the beige structures found at every intersection controlled by traffic lights. They are so ubiquitous that most people don't notice them most of the time.

Two signal boxes, one on the corner of Victoria and Mercer Streets, and one on Willis Street facing into Mercer Street, were used for the initial designs as a trial of the scheme. These have proved popular with the public, and Promenade Artists are ready to commission more creative designs.

"We have funding for the next ten, but there are hundreds of these in the city and environs - each one of them is waiting for a local artist and a unique design." Besides making the urban experience more interesting, another objective of the project is to commission art that reflects the area around the signal box.

This is the kind of small-scale project that has big creative returns," said Eric Holowacz, the Council's Community Arts Co-ordinator. "It shows how the simple addition of art can make us more aware of our environment, how unique designs can reflect who we are, and how a creative city can develop to celebrate its sense of place." Interested artists should contact Kristelle Plimmer on 385-0909 or by Email to kristelle@paradise.net.nz for information on how to participate.

Alternatively, the Wellington Arts Centre, currently located in the Oriental Bay Rotunda can provide complete details of the scheme. Contact Eric Holowacz on 385-1929 with queries.