Joint Statement from Friends of Marine Lake & New Brighton Creative Futures

Friends of Marine Lake, in collaboration with New Brighton Creative Futures, remain deeply committed to celebrating and enhancing New Brighton's Marine Lake as a cultural and community landmark.

The mural Spirit of the Lake, commissioned by Friends of Marine Lake and created with artist Joe Forrest and community volunteers, was installed and unveiled on the Marine Lake wall in November 2025 as- part of New Brighton's blossoming creative renaissance.

Since installation, we have seen some natural material deterioration in parts of the piece. This is disappointing. but it reflects the challenging coastal environment in which outdoor art operates -and not a lack of care or intent.

We are proactively working together to explore short-term protective measures and longer-term opportunities to integrate public art sustainably into the Marine Lake experience as part of New Brighton's evolving OpenAir Gallery. These discussions are ongoing and collaborative.

We know how much this artwork means to the community. Rather than waiting for second -

hand commentary, we want people to hear directly from us that this is not the end of the story. Creativity is inherently experimental; public art lives with its surroundings, and sometimes that means learning as we go -like sea meets shore.

Our joint focus remains on celebrating New Brighton's creativity, learning from this first phase, and building stronger, more resilient public art approaches that honour both the place and its people.

Friends of Marine Lake & New Brighton Creative Futures