The City of Launceston has adopted an interim Art in Public Space Policy, an initiative arising from the Council’s Cultural Strategy.
The new policy replaces the Council’s former Public Art Policy, and is designed to assist the Council to integrate public art into capital projects and streetscape improvement projects in Launceston.
Under the new interim policy, the following principles will guide artwork in public spaces:
● The Aboriginal heritage and history of the site is considered at the first stage of project conception and through to delivery;
● The development of artworks always reflects the cultural heritage of our places, our people, our stories and the wider Launceston community; ● The artwork is designed for some level of public interaction;
● The artwork increases community awareness and appreciation of art;
● The implementation process is inclusive and transparent to the public;
● The artwork is accessible to all members of the community;
● The artwork contributes economic development and cultural tourism.
Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said there was increasing interest from the general public and private sector in public artworks, and the interim policy would guide these initiatives while a broader Public Art Strategy is developed.
“The new interim policy is designed to facilitate artwork in public spaces and covers a number of art forms including integrated art and design, ephemeral art, street art, and performance art.
“While in the main it will be used for projects taking place on land and buildings owned by the City of Launceston, the interim policy also creates a mechanism for us to provide advice to the private sector and to collaborate with other institutions like the University of Tasmania and Arts Tasmania.”
