Join artist Tertius and Abbie Jury -former Community Extensions Supervisor and Publicist at the Govett-Brewster (1980–1985)— for a conversation on the recently restored Blagdon mural, located on Devon St near Blagdon shops. A familiar part of Ngāmotu’s urban fabric, the mural was originally created in 1982, as part of a programme initiated by Gallery director Dick Bett.
Conceived with the ambition to take art into the community, the scheme ran for three summers from 1980 to 1982, and was made possible under the Project Employment Programme and Student Job Search. Of the four murals Tertius worked to produce, this example near Blagdon shops is the only one that remains. It is a statement on the politics and environmental concerns of the time. In 2024, the mural was restored by a group of Ngāmotu-based artists including Cameron Shennan (Odjobs), Haoro Hond, Milarky, John Shewry and Rob Barrington.
A representative of the group will join the discussion on the restoration which has ensured that this mural will remain while others have since been painted over. Abbie Jury and Tertius will reflect on the politics of the mural’s original context of Taranaki in the early 1980s—Think Big, Muldoon’s Government, and the history of the Govett-Brewster. “It was very different era,” say Jury and Tertius.
This event is held as part of Taranaki Pride Week 2025, and co-developed by Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
Thanks to @downernz for their generous donation of having the wall water blasted and covering all the costs of the traffic management. Big ups for the amazing paint kindly donated by @wattylpaintnz .