The Tauranga Art Gallery is calling on local groups to help them capture and record the present for the benefit of future art lovers.

Very soon the Vault, a small downstairs space with concrete walls within the gallery, will undergo a renovation that will see the walls relined with MDF to make it easier to nail and drill into.

An exciting new project has been planned for the Tauranga Art Gallery's Vault space, which is currently home to the ‘Te Whare Tawhiao' exhibition (pictured). Photo: Dan Du Bern/File

Public Programmes coordinator Hannah Wilson says they're calling for proposals from groups interested in installing mural works on the walls of the Vault before it is relined.

'These artworks will be exhibited to the public before they are sealed in behind the new wall lining only to be revealed next time the lining is removed.”

Four groups will be selected, with each allocated a section of the Vault and given a maximum time of five days to complete their mural. Installation will take place between July 27 and August 21.

Hannah explains the initiative has been conceived with the priorities of connecting people with art, and creating a sense of belonging and ownership of Tauranga's cultural institution, in mind.

'This is a fantastic opportunity for creative community groups to express the positive role that art plays in the fabric of Tauranga Moana today and in their own lives.”

The gallery welcomes proposals for mural that will serve as a time capsule and is open to groups based in Tauranga or the Western Bay of Plenty with six members or more.

This may include early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education groups as well as other creative groups in the community.

Murals should contain reference to life in Tauranga and/or the Western Bay in 2015, and what art means to your group. Content must be appropriate for all audiences.

'Murals must be painted directly on to the walls of the Vault but may contain pre-made paper collage components of no more than 2mm thickness that have been constructed offsite, and can be pasted or glued to the wall.”

Built in 1964, the room served as the vault for the Tauranga branch of the Bank of New Zealand, before the building was renovated to become the Tauranga Art Gallery, which opened in 2007.

Hannah says as exhibitions are now regularly installed in the space, a more permeable wall surface is needed.

'Lining the walls with MDF will mean they can be easily nailed and drilled into, increasing options for exhibitions and helping to remediate the strange acoustics of the room.”

Email Proposals must be submitted by email before 5pm on Thursday, July 2. The murals will then be exhibited to the public from August 22 to September 27.

For more details and guidelines for writing a mural proposal, email Tauranga Art Gallery Public Programmes coordinator Hannah Wilson at: [email protected].