A Brimbank art program that treats spray-painting as an art form rather than a “habit of bored teens” is a finalist for this year’s Recognising Excellence Awards for Youth Services (READYS) in local government.
Brimbank Youth Services’ B-Creative Urban Aerosol Art Program has been running for more than two years.
Program mentor Sebastian Fransz has overseen the creation of more than 10 murals by young people.
“A lot of the kids have already been exposed to the illegal side of graffiti, but the point of our program is to show the potential of spraying as an art form.”
Mr Fransz said a core group of about eight “dedicated dudes” showed up each week, though numbers varied.
“Everyone gets something different out of it, but essentially it’s to encourage creativity and help them develop confidence in their ability,” he said.
Mural locations include Sunshine’s Visy Cares hub, Sunshine Leisure Centre, a wall behind the Village cinemas and the railway station.
“They’re spaces where they’re free, and hopefully it makes them feel good about their creativity and what they’d like to do with it as they get older,” Mr Fransz said.
He said the artists’ skills could lead to employment in the fields of graphic design or spray-painting.
The 2014 READYS will be presented on October 9.
