Silver Screen Mermaid
Mark Wotherspoon
The Marrickville Council area has a number of public artworks that help bring the streets alive and reflect the vibrancy of the locality.
Some notable works commissioned by Council include:
-
The Guardian Dogs, three silver canine statues by Richard Byrne acting as gateways to . The sculptures were installed in 2005.
- In 2004, Bronwyn Bancroft was commissioned to design the largest mural in the southern hemisphere at the Robyn Webster Sports Centre at Tempe.
- The Newtown ArtSeat in Newtown Square is an illuminated exhibition tower and seat where rolling exhibitions are to be displayed.
- Magpie sculptures created by artist Jane Cavanough in Marrickville Park, installed in 2009.
- Two public art pieces were installed at the new Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre in 2011. Julia Davis' sculptural silver ribbon, Eye Level, reflects the pool's surface and Silver Screen Mermaid is a glass sculpture inspired by Annette Kellerman, created by local emerging artist, Mark Wotherspoon.
The Newtown ArtSeat
Designer's impression of the Newtown ArtSeat
The Newtown Artseat aims to deliver innovative and contemporary visual art to the local community and provide local, emerging and established artists a space where experimental, non-commercial art can be showcased.
The Newtown Artseat can be used for, the presentation of experimental work, commercial work, socio-historical exhibitions, collaborative work, art, sculpture, folk art, font/text based artwork, photography, curated exhibitions, installations, community arts, the display of poetry, writing, multi-media, new technology and/or any other form of art or cultural expression suitable within to the existing structure.
The Newtown Artseat is bought to you by Marrickville Council with support from Arts NSw and the City of Sydney.
The Newtown Artseat's first artwork
The Newtown Artseat's first artwork is currently being created by the supremely talented r e a, a new-media, cross disciplinary artist. r e a's creative art practice has spanned a period of twenty years; she has exhibited both nationally and internationally.
r e a is currently working at the University of Western Sydney in a newly developed education program, where she lectures in Indigenous history and creative cultures. She is a passionate advocate for contemporary art in new media and Indigenous arts.
For more information on r e a, visit www.rea.id.au.
"I Have a Dream" mural
Andrew Aiken and Juilee Pryor
King Street, Newtown
Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Vexta with sketches by Mini Graff
May's Lane Street Art Project, 2007
Street Art
The Marrickville area is renowned for its street art — particularly in Newtown, Enmore and St Peters.
The Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" mural on King Street, Newtown is one of the most famous works of street art in Australia, painted by Andrew Aiken and Juilee Pryor in 1991.
May's Lane Street Art Project (pictured) is a curated outdoor gallery of international standing, located at May Lane (between May and Goodsell Streets), St Peters.
Street Art Forum 2013
During 2013 Art Month Sydney, Marrickville Council held a street art forum. The forum, Coming in from the cold and into the fold, looked at Council’s changing role in regard to street art, as well as future directions and policies Council could adopt in dealing with street art.
The panellists are:
- Josephine Bennett, Manager Culture and Recreation at Marrickville Council. Josephine oversees Council’s street art program and recently won the Enduring Staff Contribution to Arts and Culture award at the Local Government Association of NSW (LGSA) Arts and Cultural Awards.
- Dr Cameron McAuliffe, Lecturer in Human Geography and Urban Studies at the School of Social Sciences & Psychology, University of Western Sydney. Cameron wrote a research report for Marrickville Council, Graffiti and Street Art Policy and Program Analysis.
- Juilee Pryor, core member of Unmitigated Audacity Productions which in the 1990s was responsible for some of the most iconic street art in the inner west of Sydney. In the 1980s, Juilee was part of the artist run space Art Unit. She is now a photographer, artisan, and part of the It’s a Sign ARI in Marrickville.
- Tom McDonald, Links to Learning Senior Project Officer at Marrickville Youth Resource Centre (MYRC). Tom is the in-house aerosol artist who runs workshops aimed at reducing the incidences of illegal graffiti, and educating local young people about the legal aspects of Aerosol Art.
The forum was moderated by Lauren Murada, arts reporter at the Inner West Courier.