New murals will soon bring an abundance of colour and vibrancy to the Goulburn Mulwaree region, with Paint the Town Street Art Festival arriving in town.
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Organised by Southern Tablelands Arts, the street art festival will showcase four artists from across Australia and four local talents.
The eight artists will create street art murals that will reflect the region's recovery journey after the 2019 black summer fires.
The murals will feature elements and stories provided by fire-affected community members through a series of co-design workshops.
Aboriginal artist Jodie Munday grew up with strong connections to culture and country and said she is feeling excited about leaving her mark on the community.
"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be involved with something that I'm so passionate about," she said.
Jodie who has been a member of the Rural Fire Service herself said she is very happy she was allocated the Bungonia RFS Shed for her mural.
"The inspiration behind my mural comes from the community and the amount of work that the RFS does in the community," she said.
In preparation for her mural Jodie also met with residents of the Bungonia community and members of the RFS to see what they thought was important to include in the mural.
"They were the ones on the frontline and the ones who were out there trying to save their town from the fires," she said.
Living between Goulburn and Bungonia, Jodie knows first-hand how much the community was affected by the 2019 black summer fires.
"We were quite affected by smoke, falling embers and ash and it was pretty touch and go for awhile there when the fires actually got into the Bungonia gorge," she said.
Jodie has completed the undercoat of the mural and she is hoping to finish the mural by March 4.
Goulburn resident Monica Bridge will be transforming the courtyard at the Hume Conservatorium and said art and music has always been a big part of her life.
"I'm so happy to be painting my mural at the Hume Conservatorium because music is just as important as art is to me," she said.
Monica will be incorporating music notes into her mural and said her inspiration for the mural is the regeneration of growth after the 2019 fires and a sense of community.
"Goulburn is my community and my home and Paint The Town is such an important project," she said.
A contemporary Aboriginal artist and proud Muruwari and Ngemba woman, Monica said she always thought there was never enough Aboriginal art in Goulburn.
"I really wanted to see more Aboriginal murals around Goulburn so I really wanted to be a part of this project," she said.
Monica said she also hopes the murals will bring more tourism to the Goulburn area.
"We have our big merino but it would be nice for people to be able to stop by and take a look at the murals," she said.
Fellow Goulburn based artist Sami Sparrow will also be painting a mural in Goulburn and artist and Gunning resident Larissa Fae will be transforming the outside of Marulan Memorial Hall.
The murals will be painted across multiple locations in the region, including the Veolia Arena, Goulburn Aquatic and Recreation Centre and inside the Goulburn Base Hospital Courtyard.
Laura Rumbel
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
