It’s heartening to hear that governments are aiming to spend $10 million on public art across South East Queensland, although the timing of the announcement may be a tad premature. The announcement was made on the eve of the Queensland Government entering caretaker mode, which is a kind of government paralysis until the election.
And after the election, well, who knows what will happen? Nonetheless, applicant guidelines have been released and the investment is part of the $1.8 billion SEQ partnership between the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Council of Mayors (SEQ), which aims to improve the accessibility, prosperity and liveability of a region that’s home to about four million residents.
Funding is available to eligible local governments to support artists create public art and architecture projects to enhance the quality of public spaces, contribute to a greater sense of community and increase access to cultural experiences throughout the region.
Reflecting the richness of the region’s local communities, the initiative will also maximise opportunities for First Nations artists, artists with disability and artists from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The initiative is funded by the Australian Government and delivered in collaboration with the Queensland Government and the local government members of the Council of Mayors (SEQ).
Queensland State Development and Infrastructure Minister Grace Grace says: “South East Queensland’s vibrant public art scene will benefit greatly as a result of this initiative. The southeast is already home to some of the most talented artists in the country and we want to ensure they have more opportunities to showcase their works.”
Council of Mayors (SEQ) chair and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says the initiative is important as we approach 2032.
“The world will be watching Brisbane in 2032 and public art is one of the positive legacies we can deliver today, during the (Olympic) Games and beyond,” Cr Schrinner says. “South East Queensland is already one of the best places in the world to live but public art can help make our communities more vibrant, better places to live.”
Mind you, it’s not government behind the most impressive public art project in Queensland right now, it’s the private sector. Credit goes to the embattled The Star Entertainment Group. They committed about $13 million for Queen’s Wharf Brisbane public art precinct. Star is to be congratulated on pressing ahead with their commitment during troubled times.
And the expert advisory panel, chaired by Brisbane art dealer Philip Bacon, has done us proud by securing work from some of Australia’s and Queensland’s most celebrated artists including superstar Lindy Lee, whose hero piece at the George Street City entrance, the sculpture Being Swallowed by the Milky Way, is nothing short of spectacular.
Leading Queensland First Nations artist Tony Albert’s enormous 15m floating art garden depicting native plants, Inhabitant, is also very impressive. It features Australian flora, including Banksia, Desert Pea and Waratah, and was fabricated in marine-grade aluminium and raised four metres above the porte-cochere drive-through entrance to Brisbane’s new entertainment precinct at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.
There is much more to see in that precinct including Justene Williams’ massive and rather chunky sculpture Sheila, which is already controversial. Some people don’t seem to get it, but it’s fantastic.
As for the announcement of the new public art initiative, we will have to wait and see if that comes to fruition. According to John Stafford, a public art expert, the timing of the announcement could be tricky. Stafford is a co-director of Onespace, a commercial art gallery in South Brisbane, and a public art consultant to local government, major institutions and private developers. He is the former director of the Queensland Government’s Public Art Agency, which delivered the public sector-wide Art Built-in program and was responsible for the administration of Arts Queensland’s former public art fund, art+place.
“As we enter the caretaker period of government for the October 26 state election, we need to remember that some government programs may not always survive changes of government, and now is the time to remind all political parties of how much we value cultural investment in our state and why,” Stafford says.
“A $10 million one-off Australian Government investment in public art is a welcomed strategic investment in the public art ecology of SEQ, but let’s hope it’s not the last. The SEQ City Deal Public Art Initiative builds on the considerable groundwork undertaken by previous state government programs such as Art Built-in set up in 1999, and art+place which succeeded it in 2007. It will also enhance each council’s own public art initiatives, no matter how modest they might have been in the past.
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“It’s a pity that the guidelines, as provided to these councils by the Australian and Queensland governments, hasn’t enabled them to utilise a modest portion of this one-off initiative to use as seed funding for establishing their own ongoing dedicated public art officers.
“The SEQ City Deal Public Art Initiative is an important one-off cultural opportunity. But it needs to create its own legacy platform of ongoing support for public art in the region.”
Applications will open late this year for eligible local councils, with successful projects announced in 2025. Eligible local governments will receive a baseline funding allocation of $350,000 plus a proportional allocation based on 2020 population data.
View the SEQ City Deal Public Art Initiatives applicant guidelines here:
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