Bouyed by a decision on Spring Into Corrimal going ahead in 2019 Paul Boultwood has even more to celebrate this week.
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As president of the Corrimal Region Action Group and a member of Corrimal Chamber of Commerce has been working with Wollongong City Council to turn heavily graffitied walls into pieces of art.
In that capacity he welcomes input from property owners, shop keepers and members of the community who can help transform locations that are repeatedly attacked by graffiti.
A process to identify the areas with the highest priority is then undertaken and sites are then chosen for public art that provides work for local artists.
The latest mural has just been completed on the side wall of Family Medical Practice (FMP) in a Woonona laneway between the Princes Hwy and IGA supermarket.
Cr Jenelle Rimmer from Wollongong City Council said the wall looked magnificent.
"Through Creative Wollongong we provided a few thousand dollars for these walls in a number of places. It really stops the graffiti. It also promotes local artists in our region," she said.
"You can see how beautiful this wall looks. We have being doing Wonder Walls for a number of years. They are going to continue getting funding because it actually saves us money in the long run. This is not part of the festival but we still call them Wonder Walls".
Mr Boultwood said the FMP wall was chosen because it had a long history of graffiti and was highly visible.
"We applied for funding through the Ward 1 cultural arts grant and got it. We then worked with medical practice to see what they wanted. We then sought permission from the owners. Then literally it was done in about four weeks.
Other sites in Fairy Meadow are also being considered. When CRAG gathers information about potential sites Mr Boultwood goes for a walk through those areas with a member of council's Cultural Services team. "We want to do more of this".
Walls in Wards 1, 2 and 3 are selected each year for public art murals. Panels from the Wonder Walls festival are used in other locations.
Mr Boultwood helps identify and contact local artists. Trait was chosen for the FMP site after discussions with the medical practice about what style of artwork they wanted.
His other major project at the moment is finding one more major sponsor for Spring Into Corrimal to help cover the rising insurance costs. "And the Police have been fantastic," he said.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
