Arts & cultural development
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The City of Canada Bay has a place-based approach to public arts and cultural development. Each project is developed with local knowledge, in partnership with key stakeholders to create meaningful installations and activities in a range of localities.
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:
Council's 2008-2014 art/cultural development program delivered a series of projects including:
Art/cultural development program for 2017/18 includes:
For further information please email arts@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Cultural Plan and Public Art Strategy 2015-2021
Council adopted the Cultural Plan and Public Art Strategy on 24 February 2015. The Cultural Facilities Report forms part of the Councils development contributions plan. Documents are available to download below.
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The City of Canada Bay is committed to providing high quality public art and exhibitions that support and enhance our cultural and community precincts, and our engagement with the people that visit them. As part of this commitment we are seeking artworks to be exhibited in The Digital Gallery within The Learning Space, Rhodes.
Council is seeking artworks which will be curated into The Digital Gallery by The Learning Space team. Types of artworks can include (but are not limited to) video, photography, animation, VR, AR, sound, and sculpture. All artworks must be appropriate for general viewing.
We wish to engage work that addresses at least one of the following criteria:
Artists will be paid a once-off fee per exhibited artwork. For more information and how to apply, please view the full Artist Brief below.
Application due Sunday 14 April 2019.
All submissions and enquiries should be directed to emily.morandini@canadabay.nsw.gov.au, The Learning Space Program Officer at the City of Canada Bay.
Mural art commission: Chambers Park, Blackwall Point Road, Chiswick
The City of Canada Bay is committed to providing high-quality public art and exhibitions that support and enhance our cultural and community precincts, and our engagement with the people that visit them. As part of this commitment, we are seeking to appoint an artist to provide a mural on an amenity block at Chambers Park.
Chambers Park is a lush park which opens out to the Parramatta River hosting Chiswick baths, a netted swimming area for visitors and residents. Beloved by the locals Chambers Park offers space for swimming, barbequing, families playing and peaceful moments for reflection. The art is to capture this vibrancy yet stillness and can add a playful element to the visual landscape. It is to connect with the local community and create a meaningful sense of place.
The artist is encouraged to explore the theme of nature, waterways and a place of enjoyment and relaxation. Chiswick is a peninsula bounded by the Parramatta River. From Council surveys and workshops people related how much they loved Chiswick for its waterways, parks and natural environment. The foreshore is a natural focus for walking, cycling, family outings and community events. The work should reflect the vibrancy of children, young adults and families and multiculturalism found in this area as well as being complementary to the park surrounds.
Full details of the project are in the PDF below. The budget for this project is $5,000.
Expressions of interest are to be submitted by 10 September 9.00am. It is expected the mural will be installed by 9 October 2018.
All submissions and enquiries should be directed to:
Tara Wilkinson Place Management Coordinator
P 9911 6524 E tara.wilkinson@canadabay.nsw.gov.au (available Monday – Wednesday)
If you are unable to reach Tara Wilkinson you can contact Sonja Gibbs, Acting Manager Place Management 9911 6322
Download briefs here:
The City of Canada Bay in partnership with the Aeolian Association have produced three artworks collectively known as Piazza Eolie and will form a showcase to celebrate the community’s contribution to our City.
Piazza Eolie Sculptures
The Aeolian Community is one of Canada Bay’s earliest Italian migrant settlers group, they arrived here in the early 1900 as refugees from the volcanic eruption that took place at the time. The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic archipelago (made up of 8 Islands) in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, off the coast of Italy and named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus.
Piazza Eolie Sculptures were developed by local artist Nola Diamantopoulos
The fishing boat sculpture is created to represent the journey of the Eolian community to Australia, and its elements are inspired by Eolian folk law and traditions.
It tells one of the miracle stories of St Bartholomew, the patron saint chosen by the Eolian’s from the Isle of Lipari. Once, on a St Bartholemew’s feast day, the islanders were carrying the statue of their saint through the town. Suddenly, the statue felt heavier, so heavy the men were forced to put it down. They only made it a few steps further before it was again too heavy to carry. On the third attempt, the men could barely lift it and were unable to move it forward. At that moment, further downhill a wall collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the townspeople would have been killed.
The boat sculpture is symbolic of the mystery of a journey that, sooner or later, reveals its purpose. This boat is gently tilted on its side, suggesting that the landing in Australia was purposeful and that the Eolian community were destined to be here to the enrichment of the Australian culture.
The God of Wind, Aeolus, is represented in a mosaic on the boat to remind us that we alone cannot steer our life.
The fish sculpture benches are an homage to the fishing villages of the Eolian Islands. The mosaic design of the fish that sits within the bench was inspired by a classical mosaic called ‘Asaraton’, which means ‘unswept floor’ and the mosaic floor was inlaid with representations of scraps of food that had fallen to the floor – hence the skeletal fish.
This artwork was funded with support from Arts NSW.
Project information
The aim of the project is to work with the Aeolian Community to create a celebratory public art project with the following art elements:
More information
Alexandra Reserve is a unique playground. Developed in collaboration with local residents and public artist Graham Charlcroft the design reflects the important ecology and attributes of the reserve. The sculptural play elements focus on cretive play and exploration - maximising the natural elements of the park and generating a stimulating free play environment.
Address: Alexandra Street, Drummoyne
Design
This reserve holds particular significance for local children and their families as a place to play, gather and seek sanctuary. The community was central to the design of the play environment. Residents and their children were asked to explore the park and share what it was they valued about the park and how these elements could be creatively represented in the park's playscape. Through creative workshops participants developed design drawings; used clay modelling; and recorded their experiences of the park. See some of the design ideas here.
Artist
Graham Chalcroft, a Sydney based sculptor and public artist, built upon this community cultural development process, exploring ecological and environmental themes through temporary and permanent site-specific artworks. From the community themes and ideas he created the two large sculptural pieces - the birds nest and spider's lair, which are the focal point in the park. He also painted and crafted the references to the ecology on the 'wormhole tunnel' and the bridge embankment walls as tactile images in the concrete.
Play themes
The playscape theme is imagination and and adventure. The use of flexible spaces and different elements provide different experiences. You can touch, see, hear and smell; encouraging discovery and play. the main types of activities offered are:
For more information, please contact one of Council's Business Arts and Place team on 9911 6555 or send us an email.
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:
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.
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A new public art opportunity has been launched to create three fabric trees for the Concord library. We are seeking artists to design, fabricate and install one of three sculpture pieces into existing large planter pots at Concord Library. The project aims to reinforce the value of tending to the growth of wisdom through literacy and numeracy.
Three of the pots are located inside, on the ground floor - two in the general reading area and the third in the café. The fourth is located outside, on the rear balcony. Each pot has its own theme.
The four themes are:
In order to maintain coherence across a possibly diverse range of designs, a limited colour palette consisting of greens, browns and whites is imposed. The trees will be launched in Autumn.
Please refer to the Artists Brief for Concord Library Planter Pot for more information and an opportunity to respond to the brief.
To celebrate the past and evolving community, neighbourhood stories will be incorporated into public art that is installed within the Concord Road, North Strathfield Shopping Village.
The City of Canada Bay with Olev Muska have documented the history of the North Strathfield Shopping Village and the neighbouring community, as a part of the Neighbourhood Stories project. Neighbourhood Stories celebrates the lives, stories and experiences of the community surrounding the North Strathfield Shopping Village, past and present.
Neighbourhood Stories is an online heritage collection documenting the people, events and everyday lives in and around North Strathfield Village through personal accounts, recollections, and memorabilia.
A curated collection of historical images, accounts, interviews, photographs and items from private collections, Neighborhood Stories illustrates the story of North Strathfield Shopping Village’s development; the people who made it and the community and individuals proud to call it home today.
An interactive exhibition was held at Concord Library from 2-31 March 2013. On Wednesday, 20 March a special event featuring participant and Guest Speaker, Hon. Michael Kirby, a former resident and student, of Strathfield North Public School and music performed by participants Colin and Denny Burgess took place.
For further information, please email yourstory@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Internationally renowned artist, Emma Anna's artwork Imag_ne has been installed at Cabarita park. This installation aims to inspire the local community to imagine the many uses and opportunities The Conservatory will deliver when it opens this year.
Background to Imag_ne
"Imagination is more important than knowledge…knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world." - Albert Einstein.
Originally conceived as the major project to support Emma Anna’s work towards a Masters in Public Art, Imag_ne has now been exhibited across Australia and internationally.
The artwork is composed of large wordplay letters that spell out the word 'imagine’, although the second ‘i’ of the word is missing. This absence operates as a blank canvas, inviting the audience to physically engage with the work in order to complete the word.
Imag_ne debuted as part of Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi in late 2008, where it was awarded the SXS / Art Gallery of NSW Site Specific Prize. The work was then exhibited as part of Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe in March 2009 and as part of the Streets of Melbourne Festival at Federation Square in Melbourne in January 2009.
Imag_ne was a key work in the inaugural Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus in Denmark staged in June 2009. More than 600,000 patrons visited SXS Denmark, making it the largest outdoor cultural event in Denmark’s history. Conceived as a unique cultural marriage between Australia and Denmark, the event patrons - Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary - had a long-held desire to bring SXS to Denmark.
In Denmark, Imag_ne earned its reputation as a global work and was photographed extensively, proving as popular with the locals as it had in Australia.
Recently, Imag_ne has been shown as part of the Swell Sculpture Festival at Currumbin Beach and the Gold Coast Airport. A version of the work has also been commissioned by the City of Greater Dandenong in outer Melbourne for a unique six-year, 12-site program of temporary installations.
From the seed of an idea, to a fully realised concept, to an internationally exhibited and highly acknowledged work, Imag_necontinues to inspire and delight a diverse public audience.
The Artist
Emma Anna
Born Sydney, 1975
Emma Anna is a visual artist, creative producer and freelance journalist whose work draws upon a diverse range of professional and personal experience. Prior to establishing her independent practice ANAGRAM in 2007, Emma worked as a senior designer and communications specialist within the design and architecture industries. This professional experience, combined with her tertiary qualifications in communications, graphic design and public art, are a unique combination that have enabled Emma to establish a successful independent career, working both nationally and internationally across a range of media.
Emma completed a Masters of Art (Art in Public Space) at RMIT University in late 2009. Her MA project Imag_ne was originally exhibited as part of Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi in 2008. Invitations to exhibit Imag_ne nationally, and internationally as part of the inaugural Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus, Denmark, have greatly expanded the audience for this work.
Emma has worked for local councils in a number of Australian states creating public projects with an emphasis on text, colour, modes of communication and the idea of ‘the mass’. She uses tools of language, popular culture, humour, universal symbolism and everyday technologies to help define both place and community.
Emma has held several solo exhibitions since 2005 and exhibited as a solo practitioner and in group shows in Australia, Europe and South America. Her work is held in a number of international public collections and private collections in the USA, South America, Europe and Australasia. She currently divides her time between Australia and the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
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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.
'It is generally recognised that innovative, creative and animated public spaces have a competitive economic edge and enhance community capacity building, social interaction and quality of life' - Art and Place Policy Framework.
More information
For more information please contact Council on 9911 6555 or send an email.
What it's about
Reclamation was a creative research project with an environmental focus, that was supported by Arts NSW through the provision of a $40,000 grant. The research by leading local artists, thematically explored environmental sustainability and community engagement around the foreshore of Cabarita Park. It was developed from the Riverside Cultural Study.
Cabarita Park was prioritised as the location for the delivery of Reclamation, as it has regional significance, rich heritage, and a prominent position on the Parramatta River. The current focus of Council activity in this park also means that this public art investment had maximum impact. This project was undertaken in consultation with the Friends of Cabarita Park and complimented other initiatives in the park, including the redevelopment of the playground, refurbishment of the heritage items and restoration of the gardens.
In addition to the Observatory sculptural elements a specially composed piece of music by leading (and local) Australian composer Katia Beaugeais and vocal artists Halcyon. This was performed for the first time on the 27 October at the Reclamation Exhibition. To listen to 'By the Water', performed by Halcyon, please head to our YouTube page.
The Popper Box Art Collective presented sculptural installations at that event.
For more information, please contact one of Council's Business Arts and Place team on 9911 6555 or email council@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
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City of Canada Bay in conjunction with Sydney Water commissioned artist Emma Anna to design and install a piece of public art on the Sydney Water Pump Station in Rhodes Foreshore Park on Shoreline Drive, Rhodes.
Emma has designed Aqueous, a blue-hued, jigsaw-inspired artwork, which references the theme of water. The piece ties in with the Parramatta River, which snakes through the Canada Bay foreshore area, as well as having relevance to Rhodes, linking the community’s past to the present.
Aqueous is made of multiple, interlocking puzzle pieces, representative of individuals coming together to form a community. The puzzle pieces symbolise both people and water, acting as a metaphor for water management and the role an individual and the community play in preserving this natural asset for future generations.
The placement of Aqueous on the Sydney Water Pump Station adds another cultural element to our active and vibrant city, as well as acting as a deterrent for graffiti. The engaging piece complements The Connection, Rhodes Community Precinct situated next door.
Aqueous is a joint project between the City of Canada Bay and Sydney Water. To find out more, visit aqueousrhodes.net.au or canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Find out more about Emma's work by visiting her website.
The Riverside Cultural Scoping Study broadly identifies 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:
In the study you can learn more about:
Already there are a number of projects emerging as a result of the Riverside Study:
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.
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The Serpent
The first Aboriginal sculptural artwork commissioned by the City of Canada Bay is currently in development. The brief was developed as part of the Reclamation project, part funded by a grant from Arts NSW.
This artwork meets commitments in the Canada Bay Council Culture Plan, Public Art Strategy and the proposals in Riverside, Cultural Scoping Strategy for foreshore artworks and celebration of our Aboriginal heritage at significant sites.
The artwork
This artwork has been developed by Jason Wing, an artist who strongly idetifies with his Aboriginal and Asian heritage. Jason grew up in Drummoyne and has a strong connection with the site and community.
The Serpent is an original design inspired by rainbow serpent imagery from Aboriginal history. In Aboriginal culture it is either the rainbow serpent or the eel that created the waterways, and water creates life. This work celebrates and acknowledges both.
In the words of the artist, the Serpent is based on a road sign ('winding road ahead'). Modern signage performs a similar function to traditional Aboriginal cave paintings and rock engravings. Signs, symbols and codes communicate social and historical messages, which inform our everyday lives. The ability to interpret these icons relies upon the sign maker to communicate their message in a succinct, universal and immediately recognisable manner. This communication device was used as the foundation for the design so that people of all cultures can instantly recognise and acknowledge that they stand on Aboriginal land.
The site
The sculpture was selected for this site as before western colonisation, the area was an abundant food source for the Eora people. Today, there is limited visible evidence of the many shell middens found in the area, but we are aware of a number of significant sites around the Bay Run which suggest the Eora people had found an ideal food gathering site here. The location of the Sculpture has all the characteristics of a typical midden.
The Observatory by Heidi Axelsen comprises of three pieces of art aimed at enabling visitors to experience the natural elements in a novel way. They are:
The artworks, located in a group of three, are a triptych, that relate to one another and create a destination. The works are inspired by the local history of Corry’s Pleasure Garden, 18th century scientific devices for measuring the weather and a Victorian aesthetic.
The location was selected as the site is exposed to the wind and provides a beautiful vantage point to experience the Parramatta River.
More information
The Vision
The vision was for games boards to be developed as part of table top artworks on three new picnic tables in Rhodes. The art was to be innovative, vibrant, have integrity, and be of the highest quality. It was to connect with the local culturally diverse community, and create a meaningful sense of place.
This project aimed to achieve public art that resonates with local culture and encourages connection between play, sport, and the social lives of the residents surrounding the park.
Three artists were engaged through the curation of The Drawing Book Studios to create a piece of art for each of the picnic tables.
Mike Watt an Australian mural artist and illustrator:
My table design is based off the game Snakes and Ladders, I replaced the snakes and ladders with Blue Tongues and twigs to make it something more in line with the nature in Rhodes.
Bill Hope one of Australia's youngest professional illustrators:
When it came to working up this design for the Rhodes community I was keen to create something that was relevant to the site but also engaging on its own terms.
I've created a panorama of the local wildlife and habitat in the form of an"I Spy" pictures where users can try and spot all the lady beetles hiding in the picture.
Irene Feleo an illustrator and designer based in Sydney:
My picnic table design was created with the aim ti illustrate an artwork that functions as both a fun interactive and educational game as well as a lively and colourful piece of art for the community.
My maze design will be bright and geometric, with elements of Rhodes fauna and bird life scattered throughout so that children can spot and name these elements in their environment.
Each artist spent the day at Hoskins Reserve creating their individual artwork onto the three picnic tables and are now available to visit.
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.