Young star wins Peoples Choice at Adopt a Box launch
Tuesday 26 January 2010, 8:12AM
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Local artist Shang-Poh Yu took out the People's Choice award at Saturday's launch of Adopt-a-Box – Hamilton City Council's new community art programme.
Adopt-a-Box lets everyday Hamiltonians make their mark on Hamilton by painting original artwork on traffic signal boxes at every intersection in the city.
All they need to do is visit www.adoptabox.co.nz, reserve a location and get started on their design.
Shang-Poh Yu, 18, one of the youngest artists in the Hamilton Community Arts Council's (HCAC) Hamilton Artist Directory – was picked for the people's choice award by a public vote on the day. Notably, many of the voting slips said the vote was a difficult choice with many liking all of the murals. Mr Yu's work 'Moonlit Nights' is located on the traffic signal box directly beside the traffic lights on the corner of Bridge and Grey Streets.
Council's graffiti co-ordinator Casey Molloy says "Adopt-a-Box provides a great opportunity for people to say something about their community through art & design.
"A lot of the feedback we got from people at the launch was that, seeing the painters in action, it really seemed like something they could do too. Most were trying out their designs in the art tent or heading home to visit the website and adopt a box themselves.
"And that's what Adopt-a-Box is all about", he says, "everyday people making their mark on Hamilton."
Two other boxes were turned into art on the day with the team that is the Underwater Collective painting an untitled mural on the corner of Clyde and Grey Streets and Classic Hits DJ Mark Bunting painting 'Short Calls Only' with his daughter Daisy on a box opposite Sacred Heart Girls College.
All of the murals drew toots of encouragement and animated appreciation from passing motorists and pedestrians.
Deputy Mayor Pippa Mahood says, "We're really excited about how accessible Adopt-a-Box is to anyone who wants to get involved. And if the quality of this weekend's painting is anything to go by, there are great things to come."