Big Picture Festival in Newcastle: a lightning bolt of urban renewal

A new generation is painting the city into a modern, artistic canvas.

As the second rendition (the first was in 2020) of the Big Picture Fest takes shape on Newcastle's streets and walls this weekend, it has become apparent the event is a victory for tourism, for local culture and for the arts community, all at the same time.

Artist Goya Torres, born in Veracruz, Mexico, moved to Sydney in 2010 for six years, but after a short stint overseas, she decided to move to the Newcastle area, because she had heard it had a changing art vibe.

"When I moved overseas[to Europe], I realised a lot of the artists have a really specific theme and style. That allowed them to be recognised around the world," she says. "That's what I wanted to achieve."

Her evolving style mixes little kids, with spirit animals, paying attention to native plants and animals.

This year she is one of the nine featured artists at the Big Picture Fest in Newcastle, working a wall on Gibson Street near the Newcastle Music Conservatorium.

Joel Moore, better known in the art scene as Vans The Omega, a globally reknowned muralist, is the founder of the Big Picture Fest. Born in Adelaide, he's travelled the world over two decades, making murals everywhere.

"I think that the biggest thing I've taken out of coming to Newcastle from all the festivals that I've done all around Australia, is that this whole community has banded together, they've embraced me as an outsider, really trusted my vision for Big Picture in this city," he says.

"And I think it's created this everlasting legacy of artwork in the city that is kind of, grown from the other art things that have happened here before with murals."

Building on the 12 murals done in 2020, this year there will be eight new walls and two additional interactive locations. New locations include Hunter Water on Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle TAFE on Hunter Street and several more in the inner city. Artists doing major walls this year include Deams, Rosie Woods, Damien Mitchell, Sean Thomas Bell, Claire Foxton, Michael Black, Georgia Hill, James Ellis and Torres.

"Overall, we still have the connection of all the locals who've been part of the previous festival, who are part of it in some way," Moore says, "which is just absolutely special that they want to be here, that they want to be part of it.

"And you look around the streets now, and what they've created since the festival first came here, and it's an amazing legacy and it's really beautiful to see."

The ties that bind are strong. Artist Jordan Lucky, who participated in 2020, is a partner in Playstate Curate, a gallery that sells street paint supplies on the corner of King and Union streets. It will be a hive of activity all weekend, with artworks by past and present muralists on show.

Mitch Resevsky, aka Mitch Revs, probably Newcastle's best known mural artist, is also hosting artists at his gallery on Hunter Street during the festival.

One of the interactive sites is Civic Lane, which will become "Spray Alley" this weekend as part of Big Picture, with UP & UP Inspirations (led by long-time graffiti artist and muralist Shane Kennedy) creating a tribute to Dewzer, a famed Newcastle graffiti artist who recently died.

There will be another community engagement site in the Civic precinct, with local artist Bronte Naylor mentoring four artists working on canvases onsite.

Underneath all of that, the Little Festival, directed by Jacinta Fintan, will see dozens of artists and performers adding small sculptures, small street artworks, and interactive works concentrated in Newcastle West and the Civic precinct.

Newcastle's Big Picture festival director Katerina Skoumbas is an avid fan of promoting Newcastle's art scene.

"The intention of the festival is really to support the artists," she says. "It's an artist-run festival. It's there for them. It's bolstering their experience. When Joel [Moore] set it up, it was about making sure that the artist had a good experience, was paid well, and that it could be a productive, good experience for the artist.

"The other element is positive awareness of street art, and making the public aware of the value of that street art."

The installations are across a cross section of public and "private" walls (as in private buildings).

"Everybody needs more joy in their life, everybody needs more beauty if their life, everybody needs to think a bit more, and not just be blinkers on, concrete jungle, see ya later," Skoumbas says of taking a moment to critically reflect on building owners committing their property to the project.

The same values hold true for the public in a way - what do you want your city to look like. With Newcastle's CBD long in decay, and still not immune to vacated eyesores, despite its urban renewal, the Big Picture fest really serves as a triggerpoint of change.

"I think the city is craving this," Skoumbas says of the artwork generated by the festival. "It needs this. Because we can't afford to develop a city into something that's just another place. You want it to be unique. You want it to reflect the community. You want it to challenge people. You want it to be unique, and demand attention, for sure."

Becky Kiil, founder of Newcastle Afoot walking tours in the city, was the director of the Big Festival in 2020. She considers the festival a major catalyst in the changing view of Newcastle.

"I am clearly biased," she says. "I applied for the grant to bring a street art festival to Newcastle for the purpose of tourism, something I think the city needs.

"Obviously my business benefits and I see that day to day. I see that with people looking at street art, taking photos, walking. I see people walking through Museum Park and staring at Fintan's [Magee] wall and just stare with their mouth wide open. I see that every single day.

"The colour and vibrancy attracts people anyway, but there are specific people who come to see street art."

Kiil will be leading special behind the scenes tours of the new murals throughout the weekend.

Artists will be onsite completing murals Saturday and Sunday throughout the city.

"The winners are the public," Skoumbas says. "It's the ultimate art event, you don't get to see art this way."