Posted June 17, 2017 11:09:10

Photo: Max Frieder works with Indigenous kids via the program Artolution. (ABC News: Claire Campbell)

Two New York-based artists who have created large-scale art projects with young people in war-torn and developing countries have brought their paint and skills to Indigenous communities in Central Australia.

Alice Springs is becoming a little brighter as Indigenous youth and elders create large murals together that reflect their culture and dreams.

Artolution artist and co-director Max Frieder said it was not about inspiring a new generation of budding artists but connecting people young and old, and empowering the disadvantaged.

"They actually came up with all the ideas and transfer all the ideas onto the wall," Mr Frieder said.

"What does it mean to have healthy relationships, what does it mean to have healthy nutrition and food, what does it mean to be able to have friends and family?

"Ideas about animals, different people, food, and about dreams they had for the future."

Photo: Taquisha Petrick paints an Artolution mural in Alice Springs. (ABC News: Claire Campbell)

Artolution has created 400 social art projects around the world from refugee camps in Syria to India where the murals raised awareness of human trafficking.

Yet Mr Frieder said working in Alice Springs was equally important.

"It's a very diverse place that I think has issues that don't exist in the rest of Australia," he said.

"As far as places to work in this country, it's probably one of the most important.

"Whether it be here or many other parts of the world, people feel like victims of their circumstances and I think this is a way of hopefully creating some form of transformation."

And it's been lots of fun for the kids involved; Nelisha Petrick said she loved painting a snake, emu, and kangaroo.

"It's really nice, what we've done; we worked as a team, together," she said.

"I'd like to thank Max 'cause he's nice."

It is not the first time Artolution has worked in Alice Springs, and they are hoping their work will continue in the red centre through local artists willing to take on their love for community-based projects.

Photo: Part of Artolution's finished mural in Alice Springs. (Supplied: Artolution)

Topics: contemporary-art, arts-and-entertainment, street-art, visual-art, community-and-society, youth, nt, alice-springs-0870