We actively maintain our art and heritage collection, which includes public art, memorials and some limited murals around our region. There are over 880 items in the collection requiring programmed and reactive maintenance annually.
Council's Public Art Policy 2015-20 outlines that ephemeral works commissioned or facilitated by us, such as murals and street art, will have a lifespan limit of five years excluding exceptional circumstances. In many cases, murals and street art may have an even shorter lifespan.
Street art pieces and murals in the public realm are usually considered to have a short lifespan given the medium/materials used, their exposure to external conditions such as weather and importantly the long tradition of graffiti culture, however the intention of the artist(s) or commissioner and the circumstances of the creation of the artwork are always key factors as well.
There have been special instances in the past when we have advocated for a significant mural or artwork in the public realm to be acknowledged and protected through the Victorian Heritage Register, sometimes successfully and other times not. Our advocacy for murals is determined on a case by case basis, but usually the work would need to demonstrate considerable artistic and cultural significance on a local, state and/or national level.
One case study is
Keith Haring’s mural at the former Collingwood Technical School on Johnston Street. In 2004, we successfully applied to have Haring’s mural heritage listed and the State Government, as the asset owner, undertook major conservation, cleaning and protective works in 2011 led by Creative Victoria.
We actively maintain our art and heritage collection, which includes public art, memorials and some limited murals around our region. There are over 880 items in the collection requiring programmed and reactive maintenance annually.
Council's Public Art Policy 2015-20 outlines that ephemeral works commissioned or facilitated by us, such as murals and street art, will have a lifespan limit of five years excluding exceptional circumstances. In many cases, murals and street art may have an even shorter lifespan.
Street art pieces and murals in the public realm are usually considered to have a short lifespan given the medium/materials used, their exposure to external conditions such as weather and importantly the long tradition of graffiti culture, however the intention of the artist(s) or commissioner and the circumstances of the creation of the artwork are always key factors as well.
There have been special instances in the past when we have advocated for a significant mural or artwork in the public realm to be acknowledged and protected through the Victorian Heritage Register, sometimes successfully and other times not. Our advocacy for murals is determined on a case by case basis, but usually the work would need to demonstrate considerable artistic and cultural significance on a local, state and/or national level.
One case study is
Keith Haring’s mural at the former Collingwood Technical School on Johnston Street. In 2004, we successfully applied to have Haring’s mural heritage listed and the State Government, as the asset owner, undertook major conservation, cleaning and protective works in 2011 led by Creative Victoria.
