Art In Public Spaces Art In Public Spaces: Overview

Gallery Services and Townsville City Council’s commitment to the considered and well managed integration of public art in Townsville’s public spaces – as set out in the Art in Public Spaces stratagem – was significantly advanced in 2013/2014 through commissions, installations, assessments, conservation, documentation and policy development.

The first major project undertaken in the reporting period was the delivery of Strand Ephemera, Townsville’s acclaimed temporary public art festival which transforms the city’s much-loved beach front promenade, The Strand.

The exhibition featured 33 artworks in 2013, and feedback from artists, participants and a crosssection of the 60,000+ visitors placed it as the best Strand Ephemera to date.

One of the 33 artworks unveiled was Amanda Feher’s permanent public artwork Flex, which was commissioned “In recognition of the resilience shown by the Townsville community during and after Cyclone Yasi (February 2, 2011).”

A well regarded artist, Feher has lived in the Far Northern Region her whole life, and has completed numerous public art commissions, while also participating in a number of Strand Ephemera exhibitions since its inception in 2001.

Flex was made possible through funding provided under the Community Development and Recovery Package, which is a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements. Following its installation, remedial and preventative conservation work was undertaken by the artist in early 2014 before its re-installation in the same period.

Following the unveiling of the Jezzine development, Townsville City Council through Gallery Services, undertook a transfer of ownership process from the Jezzine Community Trust for 32 public artworks that were commissioned as part of the site’s transformation.

The works were commissioned by the Jezzine Community Trust through the Jumbana Group, a leading Australian Indigenous art, strategy and communications company,.

The 32 resultant works reference the rich history of the location in a range of different mediums, from traditional stone or steel sculpture, to interactive and audio/visual-based works.

Jezzine List of Artists

+ Bernadette Boscacci

+ Antone Bruinsma

+ Russell Butler

+ Jill Chism

+ Shirley Collins

+ Billy Doolan

+ Karen Doolan

+ Amanda Feher

+ Jeremy George

+ Rurik Henry

+ Thomas Illin

+ Tracey Johnson

+ Carly Kotynski

+ Gavin Kum Sing

+ Barry Lampton

+ Kelvin Lampton

+ Jenny Mulcahy

+ Stephen Newton

+ Susan Peters

+ Donna Maree Robinson

+ Alfred Smallwood

+ Claudia Williams

+ Jordan Wyles

+ Virginia Wyles image opposite: Jane HOWLETT

Oceanic images [detail]

Plywood size variable

Restored 2014

Photograph: Sarah Welch

The commissioning process was contracted to