University of Otago health science student Georgia Harrold admires a dinosaur mural being painted by artist Bruce Mahalski, in Dunedin, yesterday.
The dinosaur, on the Crusty Corner building in North East Valley, celebrates the "Dinosaur rEvolution" exhibition that will begin at the Otago Museum next month.
Museum marketing manager Kate Oktay said it was "thrilled" Mr Mahalski agreed to paint the piece.
"It is amazing to see what Bruce has done — he is just so talented.
"It’s going to be an incredible exhibition. We are really lucky to have got it over from Australia."
The announcement that New Zealand outside of Auckland could move to Alert Level 1 next week meant it could bring back some exhibition activities that would not have been allowed under Level 2.
Mr Mahalski said he "leapt" at the chance to paint for the museum.
"It is fun . . . I haven’t painted dinosaurs [on a wall] before ."
Painting in public was like performance art, he said.
"Already today, I had someone come up and say they would like their wall painted."
The exhibition will feature "huge" animatronic dinosaurs, as well as skulls, skeletons, and fossil casts.
The opening weekend, Family Fun Day, will have dinosaur-themed free events, crafts, a dig pit, science pop ups and demonstrations, as well as visits from paleontologists.
