We want to know your thoughts about the draft Public Art Policy and what art you would like to see in the City of Greater Bendigo in the future.

With your input we can measure community interest and understanding of public art. This will help plan for potential new projects, the type of art, themes and locations.

We will gather the responses, identify themes, community understanding of public art, and ideas the community would like to see, helping shape the policy. Feedback can support the direction of the policy and inform the type and general location of new public art projects in the future.

Public art projects must work within a framework including risk management and heritage guidelines.

The policy covers artwork displayed in public spaces and not on or in private spaces like the walls of private offices/buildings, private gardens.

Djaara Lights exhibition

Public art is creative work that is located in a space that is open to the public.

It can take a variety of forms and may be created by professional or amateur artists, individuals or groups.

The City of Greater Bendigo’s current public art collection includes work that has been created in the last year, through to monuments, statues and memorials created in the 1800's.

Some of the work has been commissioned by local government, developers or donated to the city.

Public art is made with the permission of the property owner or local council and does not include graffiti which is work that was created without permission.

Some common types of public art are:

• Sculpture
• Murals/Street Art
• Digital Art/projection
• Nature based art
• Sound art
• Interactive art

The City has over 100 statues, monuments and artworks in the permanent public art collection. This includes temporary art and infrastructure such as:

• Pennyweight Walk, an open-air gallery of changing artworks
• Chancery Lane street art which is a program funded for local talent and placemaking projects
• Marilyn Munroe sculpture
• House of Mirrors
• Viva Bendigo installation, elevating the Elvis exhibition experience
• Djaara Lights public art collaboration is a unique example of First Nations digital placemaking and storytelling.
• Whirrakee Wattle statue in Huntly
• Kinetic Art in Strathdale

All these projects bring vibrancy to the city for residents and business, attracting media attention and visitors.

Whirrakee Wattle sculpture

Currently a small part of the City's Arts and Culture budget goes towards public art.
Other funding is from external funders e.g. Djaara Lights was funded by Creative Bendigo.

Previous community engagement focus groups identified themes and outcomes that the community would like to see for the Public Art policy. These include:

• Sustainable Public Art and placemaking
• Design Excellence in design
• Creativity is visually apparent in Greater Bendigo
• Create greater opportunities and upskill local artists
• Clear and easy to understand process and clear list of roles
• Definitions for public art are needed and clear acquisition guidelines
• Dedicated person responsible for public art in Council
• Build a creative economy creating more opportunities for public art
• Express the region’s culture visually
• Diverse methods to source and fund public art
• Create more diversity in public art typologies
• Links to other Council policies and goals
• Lifespan for the collection

No Longer on Mute exhibition

Bendigo Art Gallery's collection is not part of the scope of this policy

It is a strategy that considers every part of creativity in our community, recognising its importance to health, wellbeing and community development and supporting and developing its commercial aspects.

Greater CREATIVE Bendigo is designed to

• Inspire a culture of creativity
• Create more activated spaces
• Nurture and support talent
• Champion inclusion and access
• Show the world

Greater CREATIVE Bendigo Strategy and Council Plan 2021 - 2025 Mir Wimbul outline actions for the City in regard to public art, the community play an important part in helping plan to achieve these actions, while creating a welcoming and vibrant city.

Kinetic Art installation