Public art to hit CBD streets

The Council voted on Monday night to approve an innovative new program which will bring large scale public art installations and projects to Sydney’s CBD.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said the draft “City Art – Public Art Strategy” is the city’s most significant vision for public art in over a decade.

“Art tells a story about the city – it sets the mood and delivers the colour in a city. There’s no city more naturally beautiful than Sydney and our public art needs to match that,” said Ms Moore.

“Over the last ten years public art in Sydney has evolved from more traditional outdoor sculptures to things like quirky stencil art on laneway walls to the ‘I heart kings cross’ community knitting project.

“To ensure that public art continues to grow and really set the scene for the kind of city we want to live and work in we need more thinking around where, when and how – that’s what this policy does.”

Ms Moore said the strategy was aimed at creating dynamic public spaces and developing Sydney’s role as a global cultural and creative leader.

“We are developing major new programs and projects to bring art out of the galleries and into the public domain, into the hidden nooks and crannies in the city, over the next ten years,” she said.

“This process has been two years in the making and by putting art into our public spaces we make art accessible to everyone.”

A number of significant public art projects have been commissioned by the City of Sydney over the past few years.

The formation of an official draft policy follows projects such as Bibles and Bullets (2008) by Fiona Foley, Under the Freeway (2010) by Warren Langley, Taylor Square Plinth Project, and the Laneway Art Program just to name a few.

The City has launched the City Art website profiling approximately 200 artworks and enabling visitors to navigate the public art using a map function.

To find out more visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cityart/