COMMUNITY YOUTH MURAL - voices united
ABOUT THE PROJECT
A mural will be design & painted by Jeff McCann & the youth of Dubbo through a series of creative workshops.
The mural will take inspiration from the below prompt. Aiming to depict a living portrait of Dubbo’s young people.
If your story could be told in colour, shape, or symbol—what would it look like?
Every young person in Dubbo has a story that matters. Maybe yours is full of movement and change. Maybe it’s grounded in deep roots. Maybe it’s still being written. This mural is a place to share who you are—not just where you come from, but what you care about, what you dream of, and how you see the world.
The final design (above) plays off the idea of a school photo. With all the youth coming together to create a snapshot of Dubbo youth and be a part of the project. They are standing in an open paddock with a blue sky to help bring a feel of open space and future thinking. The design also embraces the different drawing styles of each artwork submission as a way to represent the importance of embracing yourself and celebrating the unique qualities in everyone.
KEY DATES
Stage 1: Community Workshops & Submissions - October 2025
Stage 2: Headspace Workshops - Jan 2026
Final Mural Design Revealed - Youth Week 2026
Stage 3: Mural Painting with HeadSpace - June School Holidays 2026
STAGE 1: community workshops - complete :)
The workshops were a huge success. Thanks to everyone who came along and submitted a portrait to the project.
The next step is some more workshops with Headspace in January
STAGE 2: HEadspace workshops - CoMPLETED :)
Thanks to those who attended & to Headspace for hosting.
Community portrait submissions
TRANSLATING ARTWORKS
When translating multiple artworks into a mural design I like to think of it as a digital collage. In order for the design to be cohesive I have to bring all the artworks into one visual world. To do this I will use a drawing program on my iPad to create a digital version of each artwork.
At this point there are multiple things I have to consider as a drawing on paper is different to a painting on a wall. I have to think about the surface we are painting onto, the techniques we will use to paint it & the scale of the wall. So as a result sometimes I will have to rework some element to make sure we have the best possible design.
Once all the translations of each artwork are done. I will then collage them on my computer and play with the colour palette until I have the final design.
STAGE 3: MURAL PAINTING
Dates & times coming soon…