New approach to public art in Albury

PRESS RELEASE COURTESY ALBURY CITY COUNCIL: AlburyCity has endorsed a draft 10-year urban and public art strategy which aims to help Albury stand out as a creative, vibrant and culturally sophisticated city.

The strategy ensures there is a formal process for commissioning new public art works, monuments, and memorials. It commits an annual budget of 1% of Council's capital works (this year $110,000) to cover project management, tendering, risk management and liability, maintenance and conservation.

The strategy includes commissioning large scale international standard works every three years, with $210,000 to be reserved over 10 years for these significant works.

A community-based ephemeral project is planned for Table Top, a large-scale permanent work will be commissioned for Thurgoona, and the strategy notes that temporary and permanent works should be located in Lavington.

The strategy provides for emerging artists to be mentored and local artists, craftspeople, artisans and designers to be commissioned. It also aims to encourage public art to be included in private developments.

The strategy also ensures that free heritage advice and resources are available to people who own heritage buildings in Albury. They will have access to NSW Heritage software at the LibraryMuseum and face-to-face advice from NSW Heritage architects and conservators.

The strategy, which took eight months to research, includes an audit of Council monuments, memorials, plaques and public art pieces. This research identified 155 monuments, memorials, heritage sites and public art works in the Albury local government area.

AlburyCity Mayor, Alice Glachan, says this was a significant number, highlighting the need for a planned approach to ensure they meet community desires, are appropriate to their settings and aesthetically appropriate.

"We need some set criteria to work from, rather than an ad hoc approach, to ensure that new art works and references to the past all serve to enhance our city's visual appeal and are relevant to their setting," Alice says.

"This strategic plan, which incorporates Council's objectives and values, will help us give Albury a national profile as a creative and vibrant city."

The draft strategy will go on public exhibition for 28 days, providing an opportunity for members of the public to comment. Copies are available from the AlburyCity website or at Council's Kiewa St offices.

To view the strategy and find out how to make a submission, please visit http://www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/www/html/1527-public-exhibitions.asp