A message from Karen Shapcott, Arts Coordinator at Northey Street City Farm:

Dear Teachers,

Northey Street City Farm would like to inform you about the exciting Earth Art Project currently being featured at the farm.  Local Brisbane environmental artists  are attempting to create the World’s Longest Painting Made from Mud on Newspaper.  Using newspaper, flour glue and paint made entirely from mud, we are creating a biodegradable, non-toxic and recyclable artwork to show the community just how easy it is to be creative and environmentally friendly.

View the World’s Longest Mud Painting in Progress

The record attempt was started in March 2008 and is currently 350 metres long. It is envisaged that it will reach over 500 meters in length by the finish date of 21 March 2009.  The artwork will be displayed in its entirety on this date at our Earth Art Festival.  This record was originally set in Austin, Texas in 2007 at a length of 111 meters, so NSCF has well and truly set a new record!

The aim of the project is to promote awareness of sustainable and environmentally friendly art practices and to encourage people to become more conscious of their impact on the earth. The project is engaging the community through regular Sunday workshops at Northey Street City Farm where the public are invited to help paint the artwork.  The project has also been featured at Brisbane City Council Neighbourhood Fairs, which are designed to promote a ‘greener’ lifestyle in Brisbane.

We are particularly interested in encouraging children to connect to planet earth as an abundant source of art materials and to promote the use of recycled waste in creative practice. To this end the finished painting makes prefect garden mulch!  A more far-reaching benefit is the possible monetary savings for schools by using natural mud paints instead of traditional acrylic paints.  The same mud colour are non toxic, suitable for face painting and use as a sun screen!

As part of Northey Street City Farms community outreach, we are inviting schools to become involved in the project in three ways:

• Have the children from your school create a panel to include in the long painting.
• Visit NSCF for a Earth Arts school tour.
• Come along to the Earth Art Festival on Saturday 21 March to learn more about how earth arts can be used in your school as an ongoing learning tool.

If you would like to be involved in the long painting project, organise a school tour or just get some further information about Earth Arts please contact us at the office on 3857 8775.

Regards

Karen Shapcott (Arts Coordinator, Northey Street City Farm)