Whether it's a brand-new work or the care of a sculpture that dates back generations, Wollongong City Council is committed to making art available to everyone in our community.
From next month, we'll be calling for feedback on the draft Public Art Strategy 2022-2032 after Council resolved tonight to place the document on public exhibition.
The purpose of the strategy is to guide Council's creative and strategic planning, as well as how we deliver artwork in community spaces. It continues our focus on supporting diverse public art in the city and will build on an earlier public art strategy.
"Public art has a very important role to play within a city and we've a great diversity of art within community spaces across Wollongong and our suburbs,'' Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.
"We've more than 170 permanent pieces of public art on display across our Local Government Area and these come in a variety of forms, and acknowledge or celebrate different themes and points in time.
"As well as high-profile sculptures, this Strategy considers murals, video and sound content, and creative hubs as key components within our city's diverse collection of public art. It makes it clear we're keen to embrace new and emerging technologies and contemporary art practices in our community spaces.
"It's exciting to step back and to think about how all the individual pieces that make up our city's public art represent our identities, our expression of self at this point in time and whether there are opportunities to address any gaps in this representation into the future.''
The draft Public Art Strategy 2022-2032 has been informed by feedback collected through the development of Creative Wollongong 2019-2021, the Community Strategic Plan 2022-2032 and advice from Council's Public Art Advisory Panel.
"The Strategy was developed using the principles of belonging, opportunity, place, value and elevate as an overarching guide,'' Cr Bradbery said.
"Plus, during other consultations in recent years, our community has told us they would like to see more artworks - permanent and temporary – in our suburbs as well as in the city and areas of our coastline and our lake foreshore areas.
"This is really valuable feedback, and this has informed actions within the Strategy. I look forward to hearing from our community throughout August about this draft Strategy as their feedback will inform the final version of the document.''
The community feedback for the draft Public Art Strategy will open in August and comments can be made through Council's website. The final draft document will return to Council later this year for adoption.
