Iconic Auckland mural auctioned and replaced

The iconic mural collectively painted by Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms in 1984 has been removed and portions are being auctioned. A new replica mural was installed on 31 January, 2006.

THE VAANA FRAGMENTS EXHIBITION

The fragments of the mural have been reworked by some of the original artists for exhibition, sale and auction at Ponsonby’s Artstation Gallery. Nigel Brown, Claudia Pond-Eyley, John Eaden, Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett, Vanya Lowry, Jill Carter-Hansen, John Nicol and the family of the late Pat Hanly have agreed to donate their work to raise funds for the Peace Foundation and the replica mural project.

“We are indeed honoured to be the recipients of the proceeds of this unique auction,” comments Peace Foundation Director, Marion Hancock. “The original mural holds such a vital place in Auckland, and the peace movement’s history.”

People can view and bid on each artist’s mural fragment on Trade Me, accessible through www.kroad.com and www.trademe.co.nz, as well as in the gallery. Each artist will also exhibit works for sale from their current practice. The auction closes Wednesday 8th February at 4 pm.

This is a unique charity art auction hosted by TradeMe; offering out of town and expatriate bidders the opportunity to join in the dispersal of a unique Auckland political and cultural icon.

The exhibition opened on January 24 and from noon that day the public were welcome to  call in and watch the artists re-working their mural panels. The Hon. Judith Tizard launched the auction after a blessing ceremony nn 31st January, at 6.00 pm.

A SHORT HISTORY OF VISUAL ARTISTS AGAINST NUCLEAR ARMS (VAANA)

Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms (VAANA) officially began in 1984 in response to the escalating world-wide nuclear threat and to the NZ National Government under Muldoon, poised to revoke the anti-nuclear efforts of Kirk’s Labour Government.  Both the nuclear capable submarine “Pintado” in1978, and the nuclear capable battleship “Texas”, in1983, had entered Auckland Harbour with much protest from the Peace Squadron; meanwhile the French were continuing their nuclear testing in Moruroa.

Physicians had organized themselves into “International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War’ and so Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett considered that the artists of Aotearoa, with their particular vision, should now form a strongly organized group against nuclear arms.   She put a notice in the N.Z, Society of Painters’ and Sculptors’ Newsletter asking for volunteers to which painter Nigel Brown and sculptor Marte Szirmay responded.  Posters were put up asking all visual artists to bring their creative ideas to a mass meeting at Elam Staff Common Room on 11th October 1984.

It was a highly successful meeting of around 100 enthusiastic artists including Pat and Gil Hanly, Claudia Pond-Eyley, Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett and Greer Twiss of the Peace Squadron, John Eaden and Don Soloman of Artstation, painters Annette Isbey, Nigel Brown, Vanya Lowry, Jill Carter-Hansen, Marie McMahon, John Nicol, Jacqueline Fahey, Lois McIvor, Roy Dalgarno, Ken Robinson and Juliet Batten, sculptors Marte Szirmay & Virginia King, master printer Robin Lush, master-builder Matt Stafford, ceramicist Peter Lange, poet Riemke Ensing  and many other important artists.  Pat Hanly sat on a table and gave an impassioned account of the work up to now of the Peace Squadron and Auckland Artists Action groups, and of the need for VAANA as a more organized and inclusive Group.                                                   .

The immediate result of this meeting was the  creation of the VAANA mural on the reservoir wall on Karangahape Road. For three weeks in 1985, eight founding VAANA artists: Pat Hanly, Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett, Jill Carter-Hansen, John Nicol, John Eaden, Claudia Pond Eyley, Nigel Brown and Vanya Lowry  each painted large panels in the main gallery at Outreach (now Artstation) with members of the public giving verbal encouragement. Master potters Peter Lange and Lex Dawson worked with Master Builder Matt Stafford to fix the panels to the wall.

Eight more enthusiastic painters erected a further eight panels in 1986:

Panel (9)     Marie McMahon-Collins.

Panel (10)   Richard Collins

Panel (11)   Claire Mortimer

Panel (12)   Kate Millington

Panel (14)   Maria Rodgers.

Panel (17)    Miriam Cameron               

Panel (18)    Delyn Williams in

Then finally in 1993 two more Peace/Conservation artists’ works were selected by Kura Te Waru Rewiri and John Eaden for the last two panels:  panel (19) Jim Viviare, and Panel (20) Lydia Pond Eyley.

 Auckland’s VAANA Peace Mural in Karangahape Rd is considered to be its most far reaching visual statement against nuclear arms.  New Zealand’s Peace Wall helped defeat the Muldoon government in the 1984 elections and give victory to David Lange’s anti- nuclear government.

Over the next ten years VAANA achieved a huge amount of projects, its members met on a regular basis at Outreach (now Artstation),  and were responsible for producing graphics for many peace organizations. A pool of posters, graphics, banners etc were held at Artstation and made available for all Peace groups.  In 1987 five artworks by VAANA members were sent to “THE PEACE GALLERY’ in Crete for the exhibition “Face To Face” and then for permanent exhibition in the Crete Gallery.  Later that year, VAANA  printed a series of Peace Posters, sent to schools and libraries world wide; the Commonwealth Institute in London put the posters set and the Postcard sets on permanent display.  VAANA artworks were shown permanently at Gifu Peace Gallery, Japan.

By 2004, the mural was starting to disintegrate.  The large rectangular panels holed by Watercare –without reference to the VAANA artists who still owned the works- accelerated the disintegration. VAANA decided on action as the nuclear threat was greater than ever before and our own Anti-Nuclear Stance was again under attack by the National Party under Brash wishing to change it “by lunchtime”.    With the elections due in 2005, Lawlor-Bartlett considered a rebirth of the mural, with younger artists making four new panels, would act as a strong, reinvigorating Peace initiative.

Meanwhile, tragically, the revered painter and indefatigable peace activist Pat Hanly died.  At Pat and Gil’s home, after the funeral, Lawlor-Bartlett outlined the project to P.M. Helen Clark.   She was enthusiastic about the scheme, saying that she was, sadly, under great pressure to change the anti nuclear stance, yet determined not to do so.  She asked VAANA to “tell Councillors Penny Sefuiva, Bruce Hucker and Richard Northey that VAANA had her strong support in the Mural’s Rebirth and Extension.”

After much consultation with Councillor Penny Sefuiva, Mark Mclaughlan of Watercare, Catherine Hawley of Western Bays Community Board and Peter Thornbury of Mobil, VAANA members John Eaden, Claudia Pond Eyley and Lawlor-Bartlett called a meeting of all the mural artists and Matt Stafford. VAANA then approached Nora West, Arts Manager of the K Road Business Association who agreed to become Project Manager. 

At this meeting on 10th May 2005 at Artstation, it was proposed to digitally reproduce the mural to scale using original photos. Nigel Brown wrote from Southland, suggesting that panels could be cut up under artists’ supervision and the pieces polyurethaned, labelled on the back ‘fragments of VAANA mural’ and auctioned,  with proceeds going to the Peace Foundation.  The majority agreed with this but considered that we should get the mural reproduced and up before we had the auction. It was then unanimously decided to investigate digitally reproducing the work.

Project Manager Nora West then called for an informal panel discussion with all the representatives of the public bodies as well as VAANA representatives, at Artstation on May 26, 2005. The outcome of this was the concept of an ‘Ongoing Peace Mural’ consisting of twenty panels. The first twelve would comprise eight ‘Stage 1’panels by Founding VAANA artists plus four panels by ‘Stage 2’artists. The next four anonymous panels would be deleted, and the last four panels possibly restored by the artists.   There would now be room for four new panels to be painted by four upcoming Peace Artists.

Claudia Pond Eyley suggested possible funding for project from PADEF (Peace & Disarmament Educational Fund). Mark Mclauchlan for Watercare would look at fabricating custom-made fitments for hanging the panels. Daniel Friedlander said he was committed to conserving the panels in principle and that Samson Properties would consider a sponsorship proposal. Peter Thornbury, for Mobil, advised that service station redevelopment plans will open up the site, giving better sight lines to the mural, while Barbara Holloway KBA manager, suggested that the panels be mounted, perhaps behind Perspex, and back lit, to provide a welcoming beacon to Karangahape Road.

VAANA’s mural revamp has since featured on TV3’s Nightline programme. MP Judith Tizard is enthusiastic about it and there has been much public support through letters from NZ people nationwide, passionate that the mural should stay and develop.

Through this mural, VAANA asks that NZ become even more proud of our ‘little peoples’ movement’ as Michael King described it, because  it affirms that small nations and small protest groups can actually help make big things happen. The VAANA mural is a tangibly proud monument to Aotearoa’s continuing anti-nuclear arms stance.

THIS IS OUR PEOPLE’S WALL WHICH MUST REMAIN, TO BE LOOKED AT, THOUGHT ABOUT and above all BE ADDED TO. The Peace Mural is a vital part of our history and our National Identity and the only public icon to celebrate New Zealand’s Anti-Nuclear Stance for which we are known and respected worldwide.  So far we are not a terrorist target because our country stands against nuclear proliferation and military intervention in favour of peaceful ways of solving world problems - by negotiation and with the United Nations.

As Margaret Mead so memorably said:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed it is the only thing that ever has.’  

Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett, Auckland,

August 2005