Arts and cultural development

Council's Cultural Plan 2015-2021 sets the strategic direction for producing a range of contemporary arts programs that span the visual and performing arts, digital arts, public art and social history. The plan articulates a suite of directions to lead the development of Council's cultural program. These are:

• Partnerships, policies and protocols
• Cultural infrastructure
• Creative industries
• Town centres and urban environments
• Local environments and river foreshores
• Cultural heritage
• Community cultures.

Council adopted the Cultural Plan and Public Art Strategy on 24 February 2015. The Cultural Facilities Report forms part of Council's Development Contributions Plan. Documents are available to download below.

Related items

• Cultural Development Plan 2015-2021
• Public Art Plan
• City of Canada Bay Cultural Facilities Report
• Riverside Cultural Scoping Study

Public Art provides the perfect opportunity to communicate and represent cultural meanings. Public Art refers to a range of art work and art based activities that are located  in the public domain. Areas of public domain include open space, public buildings, parks, playgrounds, and anywhere else where the general public has access to. On a fundamental level the value of Public Art is to be found in the level of public benefit it provides to people regardless of their individual circumstances.

Public Art can include sculpture, place-making elements, wall embellishments, artist designed seating and fencing, paving work, lighting elements and other creative possibilities. Public Art can serve both as an aesthetic and functional purpose.

Embedding Public Art into the built environment is a well recognised way of generating character and identity into newly developed or renewal urban places. Public Art has a role in celebrating  through bringing into the public domain, the stories and relationships that communities have with places and spaces.

There are many sites around the City which present exciting opportunities for Public Art. It can be used as a way of improving the urban environment and public spaces, and also to celebrate the past, present and future of the local environment. Public Art can make a vital contribution to the experience of public places within cities and regional urban centres.  

More information

• Public Art Plan

For more information please contact Council on 9911 6555 or send an email.

The Riverside Cultural Scoping Study broadly identified sites and stories associated with the southern foreshores of the Parramatta River, from Iron Cove to Homebush Bay that have social, cultural, economic and environmental heritage significance. Riverside redresses the gaps in the shoreline's history, recording its importance in Indigenous and new settler history as well as recognises sustainability themes relating to the many communities who live and engage with the river's edge.

This study resources Council and partners to:

• Activate interest in the foreshores of Canada Bay.
• Identify the attractors and types of place at a range of specified sites along the foreshore.
• Enables users to culturally enrich and beautify our foreshores.
• Provide a resource for ongoing project development that may be added to and built upon as additional sites become accessible and available for cultural development and public art.
• Identify opportunities to create and integrate art and design into the prioritised sites.

In the study you can learn more about:

• Aboriginal heritage
• colonial and industrial heritage
• boundaries, journeys and connection
• environment
• place identity and community building in established and new areas.

Already there are a number of projects emerging as a result of the Riverside Study:

• Reclamation – project aimed at developing public art installation at Cabarita Park
• Rhodes Art Plan – developing artwork and cultural activities for the Rhodes Peninsula
• The Observatory public art sculptures at Cabarita Park as part of Reclamation
• The Serpent sculpture at the Bay Run

More information

To find out more information download below a copy of the Riverside Cultural Scoping Study or contact Council's Arts and Cultural Team on 9911 6555 or email council@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.

Related items

• Riverside Cultural Scoping Study

The Rhodes Peninsula, located in the City of Canada Bay Local Government Area lies astride the Parramatta River close to Sydney Olympic Park. It is one of Sydney's most significant post-industrial landscapes and represents a rapidly changing urban environment.

An important component of the renewal of the Rhodes Peninsula, which will result in a new urban community, is the cultural meaning associated with the area. As Rhodes completes its transition from a once heavy industrial site of the 20th century, to a new residential, business and commercial precinct of the 21st century, exploring the cultural meanings associated with the area are essential. Bringing a range of histories and stories associated with Rhodes' industrial past, environmental heritage, Parramatta River foreshore location and culturally diverse communities into the broader public sphere will assist in supporting local residents, visitors and workers in creating a cohesive community who together, can experience a strong sense of well being.    

Rhodes West Development Control Plan

The City of Canada Bay, in recognition of the role that Public Art has in connecting communities and creating a high quality public domain, has included the requirement of Public Art in the Rhodes West Development Control Plan (DCP). 

The Rhodes West DCP states:

• All public art should be relevant to Rhodes West, be of a scale appropriate to the public realm, and be specific to time and place
• Development proposals are to include a public art strategy outlining how public art has been selected to suit the historic, environmental and social contexts of Rhodes West and contributes to a unique sense of place
• Public art is required at Shoreline Park North, Shoreline Park South and Rhodes Town Square
• Public art is encouraged in other publicly accessible locations such as main entrances, lobbies, street frontages, gardens, walls and rooftops
• Consult with Council and community groups in the design and execution of public art
• Consider also public art that has an amenity function eg seating, street furniture - Rhodes West Development Control Plan Clause 4.2.11. 

Rhodes Peninsula Arts Plan

In 2011 the City of Canada Bay commissioned the development of the Rhodes Peninsula Arts Plan. Milne & Stonehouse and Guppy Associates were engaged to develop the Rhodes Peninsula Arts Plan to provide Council, developers and the Rhodes communities with direction and guidance for the delivery of Public Art across the Rhodes Peninsula.

The Arts Plan was adopted in 2012, and a series of Public Art projects will roll out. The Arts Plan identifies locations for Public Art including the foreshore, in parks, playgrounds and other areas of open space, in the town square, community centre and other places used by the community.

The development of the Arts Plan has been informed by community consultation and participation. This has included surveys, focus groups and interviews with Rhodes residents and other interested members of the community.

For more information please contact Council by email or on 9911 6555.

More information

• Rhodes Peninsula Arts Plan

The Hidden Gems video series, produced by Media Farm, captures the essence of the City of Canada Bay. From suburb to suburb we visit the people and places that give the area its distinct character and charm.

Each video is an individual glimpse of interesting natural beauty and foreshores, restaurants, heritage, recreation and what it's like to be part of the local community. The videos give visitors and residents alike the opportunity to take a virtual tour of areas such as Cabarita, Concord, Abbotsford and more,  highlighting things that are not always well known but are accessible with ease.

View the Hidden Gems Videos.

The City of Canada Bay is seeking screen based artworks which will be curated into The Digital Gallery by The Learning Space team for 2024. Each artwork selected will be displayed for one exhibition period of up to six weeks. Types of artworks can include (but are not limited to) video, digital photography, animation, VR, AR, sound, and small sculpture. All artworks must be appropriate for general viewing.

Artists will be paid a once-off fee per exhibited artwork. Artists are required to nominate their stage within the below schedule. This price is to include research and development of the work, delivery and installation and de-installation, and consultation with The Learning Space staff. A cost plan for these elements needs to be included in the expression of interest.

For more information please read the Digital Gallery Artist Brief.

Applications close 11:59pm on Monday, 30 October, 2023

All submissions and enquiries should be directed to:
Denis Beaubois
Technology Programs Officer
denis.beaubois@canadabay.nsw.gov.au