Introduction

The Council seeks to have its public art capture the spirit of our community, the unique characteristics and the qualities of our region that make it a great place to live, work and visit.

The Public Art Plan (Plan) sets out the strategies to develop our arts and cultural activities over the coming five years, with the aim to make a positive contribution to the health and social well-being of our community.

The Plan sets out a framework that will support activities to celebrate our social history, industrial heritage and our diverse cultures, including that of our First Nation, traditional Indigenous  owners, to tell the stories of the people and events that have shaped our community and to also share our aspirations for the future.

The aim is for our community to develop an understanding of the role of art, to create vibrant places by using the skills of artists, to bring our community spaces alive, to celebrate our character and to encourage pride in the appearance of our public spaces. We expect our public art to be bold, by encouraging a range of art forms and designs to stimulate conversation, to challenge our thinking and enrich our cultural experience.

This Plan positively contributes to the vision of the Port Pirie Regional Council Community Plan 2021 – 2025 to be a “REGIONAL LEADER - ECONOMIC HUB - QUALITY LIFESTYLE - By 2030 the Port Pirie Region is the premier regional centre in South Australia.”

Outcomes of this plan include:

• Greater understanding of the role of public art to tell our stories (more than a painting or statue);
• Seamless integration of public art into the design of our built environment;
• Greater awareness of art works in public places through interpretive and digital technologies to connect people through shared experiences and create memories;
• Strengthened partnerships and collaborations to support public art and arts activities.

Strengthening and developing communities through investing in the arts is not new, as arts and culture activities contribute to a sense of well-being of a community by adding vitality to public spaces.

What Will Success Look Like?

• Greater engagement and participation by the broader community in public art with activities that are inclusive and accessible by all.
• Increased sense of awareness and attraction to place with urban design reflecting character and meaning, cultural heritage and local identity.
• Increased opportunities for artists to engage with Council on new work that responds to our streetscapes, facilities, natural lands, waterfronts, parks, gardens and other public spaces.
• Increased number of temporary or ephemeral public art at festivals, cultural events, activity centres and markets.
• Our public spaces are well used by our community.
• Increased interaction in community arts and cultural activities such as festivals, events and entertainment performances.
• Strong partnerships with schools, community organisations to increase participation in arts activities and support groups, CASA, SALA and the Fringe Festival to deliver both local and outreach programs.

This document provides strategic direction for a public art program that revitalises public places and spaces through connections with our history, cultures, stories and diversity.  It underlines the importance of the visual arts in the public realm.  It identifies the unique qualities of our region that make it a special place to live, work or visit.  It raises awareness of the many opportunities for exploring and reinforcing the region’s identity through public art.

The Public Art Plan 2021-2025 was adopted by Council on 25 August 2021.

PPRC Public Art Plan

Public Art: Making it happen