The I AM public artwork will spend the next year at our beautiful Geelong Botanic Gardens, having moved from Drysdale's Potato Shed.
The two-metre-tall concrete sculpture recognises our community members who have a lived experience with disability and their achievements.
I AM acknowledges the empowerment of diversity and draws from political and pop culture statements such as the 1968 Memphis black sanitation workers slogan "I AM a man", and Helen Reddy's 1971 anthem "I AM woman."
Designed to be relocated around the municipality, each letter weighs around four tonnes and was craned into the gardens yesterday.
We commissioned Mark Cuthbertson with artist-collaborators Robert Croft, Hannah Wilkinson, Christian Den Besten and George Macaronis to develop the large-scale work, with more than 85 contributions from the community.
Funded by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund, I AM was delivered in partnership with VALiD (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disabilities) and Geelong-based ArtGusto.
Tennille Bradley, Executive Director Placemaking
The public artwork reinforces that everyone in the Greater Geelong community is welcome.The I AM sculpture celebrates the unique contributions of people with disability to our community and gives them a voice.
Embedded with words and names from community members with disability, I AM has reached a wide audience having previously been installed in Drysdale, Pako Street, Lara and the Geelong Waterfront.
The sculpture invites passersby to be a part of the work - you can position yourself within I AM to take photos that will form a collective voice celebrating the diversity of our local community.
I encourage the community to visit the public artwork and use the hashtag #IAMGeelong when posting photos to social media.
Christine Couzens MP, Member for Geelong
The important artwork celebrates people of all abilities as part of our community.The I AM sculpture will be a great addition, and attraction, to the Geelong Botanical Gardens.
Congratulations to Mark, Robert, Hannah, Christian, George and everyone who contributed to this wonderful sculpture for Geelong.
