Autumn Public Art Lecture Series

Lecture Two: The heART of this Place: Waitakere City

Waitakere City Council is widely recognised for it’s innovative public art projects. Naomi McCleary, Waitakere City Council Arts Officer, will outline the history of public art in Waitakere City and talk about the process of bringing together artists, planners, and architects to facilitate the inclusion of artworks in the development of new buildings and other public places.

At the heart of this strategy is the belief that artists have an important role in creating and sustaining public spaces for the community. Waitakere City has demonstrated the benefits of developing a policy and vision for art in public places that acknowledges tangata whenua and also reflects the increasingly multicultural nature of our communities. The Waitakere City Council public art policy is also aligned with their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Lecture Three: An Artist’s Perspective Sculptor Brett Graham will talk about his experience as an artist involved in public art projects. Dr Graham is a sculptor of national and international reputation. He is known for his ability to abstract complex historical and cultural ideas into formally strong and beautiful sculptural forms.

Review of Lecture One: by Tania Short, Creative Tairāwhiti.
In last month’s lecture, ‘Putting Art in Its Place’, Dr Robyn Woodward discussed the changing purpose of public art through a slideshow and discussions on public art from around New Zealand. After mingling with other lecture attendees in the courtyard of the museum, it was down to business. We learned that successful ‘public art’ needs to take account of two core ideas: it must appeal to the public, and be chosen on a democratic basis – it can not be ‘too arty’, but equally, it must ‘be art’. The Lemon & Paeroa bottle at Paeroa, Dr Woodward asserts, is not art.

What factors promote public appreciation of public artworks? A well-chosen site, council leadership, accessible interpretation, and a raising of ‘art literacy’ amongst the public, all contribute to this process. Interpretation is important because people want to know who made the artwork, what it means, how it relates to the site, and why it is significant. Finally, as a community we need to consider our purpose for selecting artworks. Dr Woodward urged us to consider artists who have a relationship to our local environment. If it is cultural tourism that we are aiming to encourage, then art that speaks in an authentic voice is essential. You can see, for example, a Henry Moore sculpture anywhere (Wellington, Sydney, London, New York), but you will not see your local stories anywhere but here.

Overall, it was clear from Dr Woodward’s opening statement that when it comes to public art, you are never going to have consensus. Public art is often controversial. Traditionally, art in the public domain was, to a great extent, made up of memorials to local politicians, war memorials and decorative pieces. Now, the focus is more about enhancing the environment. One thing that hasn’t changed is the notion that ‘art in the public is usually an indicator of the power base.’ This is why it is essential to have good leadership. As Dr Woodward emphasised, “You absolutely need to embrace your local community and are only ever as good as the person you put in that position.”

Gifts of art can be problematic as they often come with strings attached, so a de-accession policy is as important as an acquisition policy. Gifts of public art should conform with the policy and plans of the local council. Dr Woodward concluded her presentation by congratulating the Gisborne community for caring enough to arrange these lectures, and attend them. In her words, “Public art is a strong indicator of what a thriving cultural community is.”

Images: Adam Ellis The Kauri Modules, 2006
Thank you to: Creative Communities Gisborne, and Endeavour Trust.

Event listed by tairawhitimuseum

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