Lomandra Longifolia Red by Melissa Hirsch, Private Residence NSW. Image: Creative Road.
A new Byron Bay arts consultancy links Australian visual artists with big business in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Creative Road Director Rebecca Townsend said the business would establish richer spaces, environments and communities, and help companies build cultural capital – both of which already help cement Byron Bay as one of the nation’s richest and most concentrated sources of art.
‘I’m quite interested in how art differentiates one organisation from another, and I’m also very interested in putting money in artists’ pockets.
‘Rather than I suppose designers or architects doing that work, I’d really like to get more visual artists involved, and earning money for their work,’ she said.
While Creative Road has over 3000 artists on their database, Townsend said that a great number come from the Byron Bay region. ‘There are some fabulous artists living in this area. We have one of the highest per capita amount of visual artists.
‘The way I engage with local artists is that I work for the client, look at the best artist for the project, and often if there’s an opportunity for a local job it makes sense to get a local artist involved.’
Among the local artists involved with Creative Road are Dominique Sutton and Melissa Hirsch, whose intricate fibre sculptures have been placed in rooms at the Byron at Byron resort.
‘Byron inspires people to be creative. There’s a really strong community of professional artists here. I don’t represent anybody, that’s the key thing. It’s about matching the right artist with the right client,’ said Townsend.
‘The globalisation of the world means that everything can look the same. When you get an artist involved from the really early stages they can express that company’s culture in a way that is really unique and different, and I think that people are really drawn to that these days.’
‘When you look at cultural precincts around the world, it’s all where there’s art, culture and creativity. That’s what the arts has to offer business. Architects can create beautiful buildings and clean spaces, but it’s when you add that extra layer of art, that’s when things really shine.’
Visit the Creative Road website for more information. Visit the Legendary Byron website for more information about the visual arts community in Byron Bay.
