Good public art starts before the ‘art’

What makes good public art and what can we gauge from public response? Plus tips for responding to an EOI.

3 Oct 2022 8:00

Celina Lei

Visual Arts

Jon Campbell, Backyard, 2021, Western Roads Upgrade Commission. Photo: Geoff Miller, courtesy McClelland.

The path to good public art actually begins way before an artistic idea blossoms. Just like the space it will inhabit, foundations are crucial.

Commissioning bodies and their approach will have as much influence on the outcome of public art as the artists, and this is where a clear brief can form a healthy basis for the work.

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Celina Lei is the Diversity and Inclusion Editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Most recently, Celina was one of three Australian participants in DFAT’s the Future of Leadership program. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne. Instagram @lleizy_