Devonport Primary School
Region: Auckland
Art form: Visual Arts
Project name: Tāmariki o Takarunga
Project information: Tāmariki o Takarunga: a student-led mural project reflecting the living connections with the Tāpuna Maunga under our feet.
We will explore and acknowledge the unique location of our kura on a sacred Tāpuna Maunga, Takarunga. Our aim is to create a journey of exploration and learning for our kura alongside Mana Whenua and a community-led ecological restoration group. Our mural will become a seed project to a larger indigenous ecology and arts kaupapa at Devonport Primary School – to honour the whakapapa that connects us to our past and bring us to understand our present day position on Takarunga – once a thriving Māori pa site and flourishing whenua for native species.
Our aim with this project is to reflect the traditional Māori cultural values of Manaakitanga (respect and integrity) and Kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection) of the whenua. Our artwork will also depict images and symbols to reflect our school values of Respect: Ngākau Whakaute. Belonging: Mana Whenua. Excellence: Panekiritanga. Our students will learn traditional Māori and modern ecological stories about native plants and animals of the maunga.
The goal of our artwork is to develop a sense of pride, collaboration and identity for all students involved and to inspire the community by placing our artwork in a location accessible to visitors of the maunga. A significant number of students at Devonport School will be involved in the creative aspect of the project by painting a section of the mural.
Project starting: February 2021
Back to Successful Schools - Round 2