ART installations could soon be around every corner in Ballarat’s busiest streets, as new public art projects begin to be rolled out around the city.
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Last week the first of the new exhibition projects was officially launched, with light box display spaces in the new Unicorn Lane Gallery unveiled.
Complete with reinforced perspex windows, waterproofing and battery powered LED lights, the boxes will have new pieces by Ballarat’s most exciting emerging artists installed every six weeks.
Positioned in the historic Unicorn Lane, off Sturt Street between the Commonwealth Bank and refurbished Unicorn Hotel, the project consists of nine mini galleries.
City of Ballarat public arts committee co-ordinator Julie Collins will curate the series and was hard at work installing the first works last week.
“We are looking at alternative ways to provide exhibition space to artists in Ballarat and through thinking outside of the box we decided to utilise this space,” she said.
“Every artist knows they have to expand their audiences and educate viewers of their art, so any opportunity we get to move out of the galleries and into other places is a good one.”
The committee is working on other new public art display spaces, with new works set to complement Ballarat’s many historic statues and monuments.
Ms Collins said businesses interested in hosting new public art displays could express interest in the program, while curators, artists, crafts people, photographers, filmmakers, writers and poets can submit their ideas for future displays in the mini galleries.
City of Ballarat Councillor Samantha McIntosh said the new outdoor gallery was a platform for a broad range of artists to display their work.
“There is a fairly broad range of artists and art lovers in the Ballarat community and amongst our visitors, and for those people who might not wander into the an institution like the Art Gallery of Ballarat, this is a fabulous way for them to take a moment or two to consume artworks and the ideas they contain,” Cr McIntosh said.
“We can use public art to embrace the creative parts of our community and placing art in public spaces like this is a very exciting opportunity.”
For more information, contact Julie Collins on 5320 5199.
