Mini murals to pop up all over Mt Barker as creativity opens new doors

The Mt Barker community is gearing up for a debut mini mural festival in which the streets will come alive with colour as a trail of painted doors is spread across the town.

The inaugural Mt Barker Creative Doors Celebration is the community’s opportunity to open a doorway into participating artists’ imaginations by designing their own door, which will go on display in an exhibition across the town.

Spearheading the project are artist George Corke and Mt Barker police Sgt David Johnson, who will both be busy placing the 116 painted doors around the town’s CBD.

Corke said the trail would be mapped out so people could explore the showcase.

“We’ll be putting them up next week from Monday — it will take a while to get them all out,” he said.

“It’ll start in the Wilson Park playground, through Memorial Park, the main street, in vacant shops, and a gallery will be put up in a vacant cafe.”

The public will be encouraged to vote for the most creative murals, and the winners will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Mountains and Murals festival next year.

Corke said the idea was sparked after uncertainty was raised about whether the annual festival would go ahead this year.

“It came about after the Mountain and Murals in Mt Barker kept getting pushed back because of COVID-19, and so it was going to be way into next year,” he said.

“All the artist’s usually involved are from The Walldogs — from the States, England or Canada and can’t get out here.

“I thought we should have our own mini festival, get some muralists to come — my wife and I saw something similar in South Australia 10 years ago called Doors in the Landscape.”

Corke said initially there were doubts about potential interest in the event.

“The enthusiasm wasn’t there to start with — some people thought we’d probably only get 20 doors but I knew there was at least 40 people out there who would have a crack,” he said.

The doors have been supplied by community members and Homeswest, and Mr Corke has taken on the job of repairing them ready for the artists to add their creativity.

With the event open to all ages, participants had three weeks to complete their doors before submitting them for display. The doors will be popping up around Mt Barker from Monday and will be on show until January.