Skip to main content

Story: City public spaces

‘Ferns’

Image
‘Ferns’

Neil Dawson’s ‘Ferns’ – a globe-like sculpture of interlaced silver ferns – floats above Wellington’s Civic Square. Street art has become more popular since the 1980s. Not only does it enhance the appearance of streets, it often also stimulates public debate about meanings of art.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Marguerite Hill

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Geoffrey Rice, City public spaces – Streets, avenues and pedestrian spaces, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22929/ferns (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Geoffrey Rice, published 6 April 2010.