Creativity and community came together with recent unveiling of the new youth mural at Dubbo’s Community Arts Centre at Western Plains Cultural Centre.

The mural was created by Jeff McCann collaborating with local kids through a series of workshops in cooperation with Headspace Dubbo during the winter school holidays.

The mural features 59 submitted self-portrait artworks under the title, “Voices United” with the design based on a school class photo and allowed for all artworks to be incorporated into the final product.

The initiative was a great way of involving young people in helping create an artwork that will be there for the community to see and enjoy, Dubbo Mayor Josh Black explained.

“Thank you to everyone who submitted artworks to be a part of the mural design, as well as the young people who helped bring this mural to life on the wall during the school holidays,” Cr Black said.

The mural celebrates and showcases the young people of the region and was a great opportunity for young budding artists to work alongside a professional artist like McCann.

He said that the project had been a “full circle” moment for him, having grown up in Dubbo and coming back as a full-time artist to create something that will be on the walls at the Western plains Cultural Centre for years to come.

“It’s been great to be able to share my skills and experience with other young emerging creatives in the region and have them participate in different workshops along the way,” McCann said.

“Throughout the creative workshops, young people have learnt how to create a mural and the different techniques involved in getting the mural from a drawing on paper to the walls,” he added.

The mural is in the Community Arts Centre building at the Western Plains Cultural Centre where school holiday workshops are often held, with the project supported by Create NSW.