Public street art funding for Sydney councils to tackle vandalism

By ERIN MODARO

The NSW government aims to tackle graffiti in Sydney’s suburbs by offering funding for street art to local councils. NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman announced that $1.9 million in grants will be given to 23 councils across NSW for public landscape revitalisation in an effort to curb graffiti.

“We know street art in particular is an effective method of revitalising streetscapes, dramatically boosting community pride and deterring would-be offenders,” Speakman said.

Public projects such as the Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall have attracted street artists to turn spaces that might be vulnerable to vandalism into murals and artworks. The ‘I Have a Dream’ mural in King Street in Newtown was given heritage status by council in 2014, as it has been an art staple of Sydney since it was painted in the 1990s.

Street art has gained significance in councils in recent years through grants and public initiatives. Waverley Council has recruited talented artists to work on the Bondi Beach Wall for years.

Tim Phibs, one of Australia’s most celebrated and renowned street and graffiti artists, said that public artworks go towards “creating unique, vibrant communities”, and that artworks have a multitude of public benefits.

Phibs has worked on countless street artworks across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, including multiple sites across Newtown.

“I really believe that art is meant to be enjoyed by everyone and anyone. I’m very passionate about Street Art and educating and informing people about this art form – what it means to the people who create it and how it can add value to local communities,” he said.

Current projects

Successful projects funded under the current round of graffiti management grants include:

• the creation of large-scale murals and street art including digital art

• artwork painted on more than 60 traffic signal boxes

• the installation of solar-powered lighting and weatherproof speaker systems (for playing music) in parks and walkways

• the planting of “green screens” with trees and shrubs

• the application of anti-graffiti coating to graffiti prone walls and street furniture

“I am looking forward to seeing the life and colour that these new projects will inject into streetscapes around our state,” Speakman said.