2015 Street Art Activation Framework Booklet

images

Cover (L-R):

• Artwork by The RUN Collective (detail) created for City Lane graffiti wall. Commissioned by Lancini Property and Development;

• Visitors enjoy interacting with Yandell Walton’s projection work Absent Presence, displayed in front of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery during the LUXLUMIN projection event in September 2014;

• Townsville’s 1RAR Band perform at Music in the City;

• Kennie Deaner’s street art mural (detail) on the rear facade of Agora House in Denham Lane, Townsville. Commissioned by Townsville City Council;

• Kennie Deaner painting his street art mural on the rear facade of Agora House in Denham Lane, Townsville;

• Fintan Magee The Tower (detail) 2014, street art mural painted in City Lane, Townsville. Commissioned by Lancini Property and Development.

Inside Cover:

• The RUN Collective’s street art mural in Denham Lane. Painted with the assistance of La Luna Youth Arts and Townsville City Council.

Overleaf:

• Fintan Magee The Tower (detail) 2014, street art mural painted in City Lane, Townsville. Commissioned by Lancini Property and Development.

1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this Street Art Activation Framework is to provide a breakdown of the opportunities for such activity to occur in Townsville, and outline a clear and thoroughly considered path forward to enable Townsville to become a leader in this field in terms of regional Australian centres.

The Framework sets clear definitions by which the development of Street Art in Townsville will be undertaken, as well as defining key Cultural, Economic, Social, Recreational, and Urban Planning objectives of Street Art activation.

Numerous initiatives have been considered through stakeholder engagement and a thorough scan of activity in this field around Australia. The initiatives proposed for endorsement within this Framework are separated into three distinct categories:

• Activation Sites

• Activation Programs

• Activation Enablers

The success of the roll out of such initiatives is contingent firstly on the endorsement of this Street Art Activation Framework, but also on the careful management of the public message and ongoing evaluation.

As such, this Framework also outlines the following:

• Maintenance and Renewal Strategy

• Communication Strategy

• Measures of Success and Review Process

This Framework has been guided and developed by a larger Working Group of Townsville City Council, Community, and Organisational Stakeholders. The Working Group formed in February 2013, and met on a monthly basis.

Street Art Activation Working Group

• Cr Gar y Eddiehausen

Townsville City Council

• Shane Fitzgerald Manager Gallery Services

• Er ic Nash Curator Gallery Services

• Snr Constable Kelly Womersley

Queensland Police Service

• Troy Buchanan

Townsville Youth Justice

• Rachel Cook

The Youth Network NQ

• Mark Allen

L ocal Business Representative

• Shane Keen Artist

• Rebecca Kind Marketing and Communications

• Col Br iody

Property Management

• Car lee Stockall Legal Services

• Jo Prego

Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

• Jonathon Hughes

Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

• Terry Farrelly Community Development

• Donna Lucas Community Development

• Gwen Casey

Community Development

• Nicolette Manciagli Community Development

• Jeff Miles

Property Management

The Group also invited the involvement and input of local and visiting Street Artists, such as Garth Jankovic and Lee Harnden, and subject experts as appropriate.

While research and development towards producing a thoroughly considered Street Art Activation Framework has been the Working Group’s main priority, it has also sought throughout the year to capitalise on opportunities that presented themselves and would help advance the development of Street Art in Townsville.

The following History/Context section provides background as to the impetus of this Framework, and to the work conducted in the past by the various Working Group participants. This information is of relevance as it evidences recent existing Street Art activity which can be built upon to meet the objectives as set out in this Framework.

Group board artwork produced from the Regan Tamanui aka Ha!Ha! Stencil Art workshop

2. HISTORY/CONTEXT

i. Overview

The process of development of this Framework began on 3 December 2012, at which time a proposal was put forward by Cr Gary Eddiehausen to Don Gordon, Executive Manager Community Services towards the establishment of a Memorial Street Art Prize as a community capacity building initiative that would:

1. Honour the late Marcel Moeder

2. P romote legitimate “street art”

3. Lessen unlawful graffiti in the Townsville region

4. Develop youth participation

5. Sustain cultural capacity building

A working group was convened in December 2012 tasked with undertaking the development of a Feasibility Study/ Report to explore and assess the merits of a Memorial Street Art Prize.

The following Directions provide an overview of the findings of the 2012 Working Group and summarise the outcomes of the Feasibility Study/Report produced at that time:

• Direction 1

Council develops and implements a holistic Street Art Program that activates and promotes opportunity, innovation, appreciation and education throughout the Townsville region.

• Direction 2

Council develops a formalised and comprehensive framework for the delivery, management, promotion and appreciation of Street Art through Gallery Services as part of the Art In Public Spaces framework and strategy.

• Direction 3

Council partners with private bodies in the identification and commission of a small number of “key” Street Art works as part of the implementation and education phase of the Street Art Program.

• Direction 4

Council endorses further research and development towards the establishment of a Street Art Prize as a secondary consideration as part of the development of a holistic Street Art Program.

• Direction 5

Council does not endorse a primary memorial to the late Marcel Moeder in relation to a Street Art Prize or a Street Art Program and further explores secondary considerations that will commemorate the efforts and achievements of Marcel Moeder as part of a holistic Street Art Program.

Since the finalisation of the Feasibility Study/Report, significant progress has been made towards the achievement of some of these Directions, not least the production of this Street Art Activation Framework.

Delivery of this Framework meets Direction 2, and following endorsement will go a long way towards allowing Directions 1, 3, and 4 to be achieved.

Lee Harnden The Smizla 2014. Artwork commissioned in City Lane by Townsville City Council.

Photo: Maddy Voinea, Vetta Productions

ii. Gallery Services: History of Activity

Gallery Services, primarily through activity based at Pinnacles Gallery, has undertaken infrequent engagement with the Street Art community in the form of major exhibitions and youth-focussed art activity.

This section details the form this engagement has taken, and how this has positioned Gallery Services to potentially extend its engagement with Street Art in the future.

Gallery Services’ engagement with Street Art, as with any institutional arts organisation, has been limited by its ability to authentically support and display the artform within the Gallery environment. While the organisation has been passively supportive of Street Art in a broad sense for many years, it is by and large in the urban environment - not the Gallery - that the artform must be activated.

Key points within this section will cover:

• W hat were the project/s

• W ho were the participant/s

• W hat was ascertained from the project/s

• Relevance to the Street Art Activation Framework

• Urban Skins

Major Exhibition at Pinnacles Gallery

3 August - 2 September 2007

Pinnacles’ association with Street Art and artists operating in this field in Townsville and interstate commenced with the development and presentation of the Urban Skins exhibition in 2007. The exhibition was developed with a number of professional development and education targets in mind.

First and foremost, the express aim of Urban Skins was to deliver an exhibition of Street Art of significant quality, presented in a professional manner and with engaging supporting public programs. In achieving this, Pinnacles Gallery would aim to counter the dominant public perception that Street Art and vandalism were one and the same, and that the sole intent of those producing Street Art was the defacement of public property.

The exhibition:

• engaged recognised Street Artists who had ‘graduated’ from working on the street, to being invited to participate in exhibitions at galleries in metropolitan centres such as Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide, including James Dodds, Vexta, Mini Graff (Wendy Murray) and Jamin.

• developed a base level of understanding of the artform within the Townsville community.

• channelled the vast knowledge and experience of the invited artists towards Townsville’s youth artists, including Shane Keen, John Bradshaw, Douglas Arana, Clinton Searston and Leah McManus

• developed friendships and working partnerships between the local artists which fostered the formation of The RUN Collective, an active group of Street Artists that are frequently involved in conducting youth workshops, exhibitions and ARI projects throughout the Townsville region.

• 2008 - 2010

From 2008 to 2010 Pinnacles continued to support local Street Artists through a number of different programs at the Gallery. Workshops were developed to engage young children and youth in various art forms that Street Art incorporates. Workshops in printmaking, air brushing, creating stencils and aerosol painting were developed to provide professional development opportunities for the artists, and participation rates and feedback from the workshops reflected positively on their delivery. In addition to the workshops a number of the artists were commissioned to assist in the delivery of various exhibition design elements. The skills of the artists were used in the creation of design elements in Heroes (2008), SubSCENE (2008), and Shoot from the Hip (2010).

• Urban DK

Major Exhibition at Pinnacles Gallery

5 February - 10 April 2010

The 2011 Urban DK exhibition saw The RUN Collective return to Pinnacles Gallery with renewed vigour. There was a strong belief within the Gallery team, as well as amongst the artists, that the previous Urban Skins exhibition confined the artists too much and forced them to display work in a manner typical of other traditional/ conservative art forms. The primary impetus of the Urban DK exhibition was to bring the essence of what it is to be a Street Artist in Townsville into the Gallery, and present it honestly so as to be reflective of their arts practice within their studios and on the street.

The exhibition:

• allowed the artists to create an 18m mural painted directly onto the wall of the Gallery - as they would on legal walls throughout the city. The creation of this piece was recorded throughout its development and displayed as part of the exhibition so people were able to see how a work of significant scale is created.

• explored Street Art stylistically through the imagery, and allowed the artists to bring in physical elements of the street on which they had created works. The use of these materials reflected the inventive, opportunistic, DIY approach the artists value, and the ephemeral nature of the works they create in public spaces.

• provided the underpinning activity for The RUN Collective to design and release a retrospective magazine that charted their development since formation. The Gallery also developed a series of workshops where the artists worked with at-risk teens and young adults on a number of art projects

• encouraged the artists to engage with a group of young people who access resources at the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation centre at Riverway, and members from the Department of Youth Housing and the Townsville Branch of Green Corps.

Detail of The RUN Collective’s collaborative 18 metre mural featuring in Urban DK

• Decked Out

Youth Exhibition at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

12 October - 30 October 2011

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s annual youth exhibition aims to display and promote the talent of young artists working within our community.

Due to the popular nature of Street Art and skate culture within this demographic, the 2011 exhibition Decked Out was curated so as to best engage these artists and reflect their lifestyle and art practices.

The exhibition:

• featured a painted quarter pipe and skate decks, as well as digital artworks, screen printed t-shirts, paintings, paste-ups and photography by more than 15 young local artists.

• included a satellite component at local gallery café The Sweatshop to further the reach and appreciation of the Street Art style in the wider community.

• engaged Wendy Murray - an active Street Artist under the name Mini Graff and also the Project Officer at the successful outdoor Street Art Gallery May’s Lane in NSW - to open the exhibition and deliver a free public talk. The talk encouraged the artistic development of young Townsville Street Artists and presented the increasing recognition of Street Art within both the arts sector and the public realm by detailing the success of the May’s Lane project.

• facilitated the donation of a Mini Graff poster artwork to the City of Townsville Art Collection as a result of the project. The work, which entered the Collection in the 2011/12 financial year, represented the most significant example of contemporary Street Art having entered the City of Townsville Art Collection at the time, and positioned Gallery Services to explore this realm as a subset of the Collection in the future. By doing so, Gallery Services acknowledges the local and national significance of the artform currently, and provides materials for research into the development of Street Art for future generations.

• Ha! Ha!s Laugh Factory Youth workshops, public talks and exhibition at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Pinnacles Gallery

22 March - 16 June 2013

Townsville’s artists were provided the opportunity to listen to and learn from Australia’s most prolific stencil street artist, Regan ‘Ha! Ha!’ Tamanui, in March 2013. Gallery Services was able to bring ‘Ha! Ha!’ to Townsville with the support of funding by the Regional Arts Development Fund (R.A.D.F.) - a Queensland Government and Townsville City Council partnership to support local arts and culture.

The opportunity stemmed from Gallery Services’ aim to couple the annual Youth and Emerging Artist Exhibition, which displays and promotes the talents of young artists working within our community, with professional and artistic development opportunities.

The program:

• inc luded a free artist talk was delivered by Regan ‘Ha! Ha!’ Tamanui at Perc Tucker, with over 80 attendees, many who are younger members of the community that are not regular visitors to the Gallery.

• a free two day stencil art workshop for young Townsville artists (aged 18-28).

• was advertised through the Gallery’s various channels, and through headspace, JCU, TAFE and other cultural and key demographic organisations such as Umbrella, Cre8ive Sk8 and The Sweatshop.

• resulted in the Youth and Emerging Artist Exhibition entitled Ha! Ha!s Laugh Factory at Perc Tucker featuring works by the workshop participants and works on paper by Ha!Ha!, which were kindly donated to the City of Townsville Art Collection.

• inc luded artist talks at Kirwan State High School and Townsville Grammar School as part of Gallery Services’ Creative Classrooms initiative Guest Lecture Series.

• 2014

Following the development of the Memorial Street Art Prize Feasibility Study/Report, Gallery Services has chaired the Street Art Activation Working Group to guide the development of this Framework. Simultaneously, the unit has been involved in several significant Street Art projects, as previously discussed:

1. Guiding Lancini Property and Development in the commissioning and delivery of Fintan Magee’s large-scale mural The Tower in City Lane along with a revolving exhibition space for local artists

2. Assisting the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit in the commissioning of Townsville artist Kennie Deaner to create a significant mural in Denham Lane

3. Securing the services of internationally recognised Ironlak artist Lee Harnden (aka LINZ, who originally hails from Townsville) to deliver a three-day intensive aerosol art workshop.

4. Commissioning Lee Harnden to create a second large-scale mural in City Lane to continue to develop it as a peak Street Art destination

These projects were seen as a way to advance the objectives of this Framework prior to its delivery. The projects resulted in the gathering of high quality still and moving footage documentation of Street Art projects in Townsville for use in promotional purposes; international exposure for the region; professional development/capacity building for the region’s young artists; and garnering the support of the local community by presenting high quality works that allay any misconceptions of what constitutes Street Art.

• W ho were the participant/s

Participants over the various projects have included:

• L ocal youth and artists The RUN Collective, Kennie Deaner

• National artists Ha! Ha!, James Dodd, Vexta, Mini Graff, Jamin, Fintan Magee, Lee Harnden

• General public

• The Sweatshop

• Lancini Property and Development

• headspace

• Green Corps (Townsville Branch)

• Department of Youth Housing

• W hat was ascertained from the project/s

One of the most significant outcomes of the exhibitions facilitated by Pinnacles Gallery has been the formation of The RUN Collective These artists had been working independently prior to Urban Skins and were not functioning as an organised group. However, the organised formation of The RUN Collective indicates that at least a portion of the artists operating on the street are not just vandals but artists within their own right, each with a passion for the production of Street Art.

It was these interests that unified the group, and has encouraged them to become active, enthusiastic advocates for Street Art in Townsville.

What can also be seen from Gallery Services’ engagement with Street Art is Townsville’s appetite for activity in this area. Exhibitions have experienced high visitation rates, comments and feedback is generally positive, public talks are delivered to large audiences distinct from the Galleries’ more frequent patrons, and workshop spaces are quickly filled.

• Relevance to the Street Art Activation Framework

The activity undertaken by Gallery Services is relevant to this Street Art Activation Framework as, through the formation of The RUN Collective, it evidences the way in which endorsed programming and opportunities for the region’s youth can enable the selfidentification of Street Artists, resulting in their significant ongoing contribution to the vitality of Townsville’s arts and cultural scene.

Further, it is indicative of a region with a large appetite for the creation of Street Art programs and enablers.

Finally, the work conducted is already moving in the direction outlined in the Framework’s Communication Strategy, which seeks to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of those members of the community who do not fully conceive the distinction between Street Art and vandalism by presenting some large, high visibility, high quality works which are looked upon proudly by residents.

Street Art in City Lane. Photo: Maddy Voinea, Vetta Productions

iii. Community Development: History of Activity

Townsville City Council’s Community Development section has a long history of engagement with Townsville’s Street Art community, particularly as the main unit involved in the graffiti arts program that had previously run in the early 2000s. This program was widely celebrated, and before it was wound back saw locations all over the city, including assets such as power boxes and poles, painted by local artists.

The value Community Development places on the activation of Street Art was underlined by its inclusion firstly in the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan >> 2011-2014 and subsequently in revised strategic documents. Relevant objectives of these documents have been centred on place-making and the enhancement of cultural vibrancy, particularly in the CBD.

The current Graffiti Program funded by the GraffitiSTOP Funding Program being undertaken by Community Development has a primary focus on methods and initiatives to reduce the effect graffiti vandalism has on the community by:

• Educating the community in graffiti management

• Educating the community about the illegality of graffiti

• Providing the community with legitimate opportunities for expression

• Working in partnership with local community groups and organisations to address graffiti

• Increasing a sense of community ownership and pride by the whole community

The overall objective of this program is to provide a proactive response to graffiti across Townsville:

• To reinforce anti-graffiti messages within the community through the delivery of an awareness and education program

• To assist Council’s commitment to the prevention of graffiti

• To reduce the incidence of graffiti within the community

• To target hotspot areas and enhance the visual appearance of those areas

• To explore expressional art concepts and to legitimise street art

• To encourage youth participation in constructive art expression

• To encourage the community, particularly youth, to think about graffiti and the impact it has on them and the wider community

• To promote the reporting of graffiti via Townsville City Council or the GraffitiSTOP hotline

In its recent activity, Community Development has formed strong partnerships with:

• Townsville Youth Justice (including collaborating artist Garth Jankovic)

• Townsville Youth Network

• Townsville branch of headspace

And engaged with the following Stakeholders:

• Townsville City Council (inc. Technical Services, Property Management, Gallery Services, Venues, Councillors)

• Townsville Residents

• Townsville Main Roads

• Department of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience

One of the most significant projects undertaken by Community Development in 2013/2014 were the two murals completed on the University Drive sound wall. Utilising GraffitiSTOP funding and delivered in collaboration with Townsville Youth Justice, the project was led by artist Garth Jankovic and involved young participants with a history of graffiti offences.

The artwork directly referenced the local community by paying tribute to the nation’s military personnel (appropriate given the close proximity to Lavarack Barracks). Importantly, Community Development has also undertaken substantial community surveying since the unveiling of the works, with high levels of support and appreciation due in part to the chosen theme.

Completed in November 2013, Community Development were also instrumental in the Urban Arts Project which transformed the Riverway Skate Park. Undertaken in collaboration with theTownsville branch of headspace, the services of recognised local street artists John Bradshaw, Kennie Deaner and Shane Keen were engaged to complete the painting. Key to the success of the project, the input of the young patrons of the skate park was also encouraged, ensuring their pride in and ownership of the final product.

Community Development’s role in supporting community groups and programs also extended to the recent output of the Townsville Youth Network. Facilitated by Rachel Cook and Shane Keen, the activities delivered under the program include those listed below, and are discussed further in this document:

• Workshops delivered in conjunction with In-Step, engaging at-risk youth and disengaged youth accessing the In-Step program

• Development of the Legal Street Art in the ‘Ville zine

• Delivery of the Street Art Asylum exhibition at Riverway Arts Centre

• Delivery of Street Art activities during the school holidays as part of the Summer School Holiday Program

• Mural project at Railway Estate State School

Following some media related to the city’s planned Street Art activation in 2014, a number of community members and organisations have contacted representatives of the Street Art Activation Working Group to seek information about how they could have a mural completed on their building or clubhouse.

Community Development has taken the lead on connecting these members of the public with artists and funding streams to support their desired projects.

A prime example is the support Community Development provided to House with No Steps following an approach from the organisation’s Services Manager, Mick Fallon.

For more than 50 years, House with No Steps has been supporting people with a disability to live a good life as valued members of their community. In Townsville, the organisation operates an office/recreation program from Cannan Street, South Townsville, which now features a signfiicant mural created using GraffitiSTOP funding. Fifteen budding artists with a disability supported Garth Jankovic to complete the work.

“Garth involved and consulted the people we support throughout the whole process which was fantastic. The guys have loved being involved in every part of the process from the design to the actual painting, it has been a true collaboration”, said Mick Fallon, Services Manager.

House with No Steps sourced the input of the Council in the hope of opening the centre up to the community, while providing great opportunities for the participants at the service to showcase their skills.

Urban Arts Project at Riverway Skate Park delivered by headspace in collaboration with Townsville City Council’s Community Development

iv. GraffitiSTOP: History of Activity

GraffitiSTOP is a Queensland Government initiative launched on 4 November 2012.

Through the GraffitiSTOP Funding Program, the Queensland Government has committed a total of $8 million over four years to deliver a GraffitiSTOP hotline and provide grants to assist councils with their graffiti management activities.

The GraffitiSTOP hotline enables the community to report incidents of graffiti, including offender information, through a dedicated phone line or online, and ensures information is passed on to the relevant authorities for action. For more information visit: www.graffitistop.com.au

More than $870,000 has been allocated to 77 councils for graffiti management activities in 2014-15 under this initiative.

Councils can use these grants for graffiti management related costs, such as:

• graffiti prevention measures

• graffiti protection and removal

• community awareness, involvement and education

• costs associated with super vision of people on community service orders undertaking graffiti cleanup

• any other measures that support the GraffitiSTOP funding program.

Eligible activities include those delivered under council graffiti removal and management programs. Activities may include:

1. Purpose-built graffiti removal trailers.

2. Portable graffiti removal systems.

3. Graffiti removal kits/anti-graffiti coating kits.

4. Electronic security devices such as CCTV and flashing motion sensor lighting which target graffiti areas.

5. Anti-graffiti information, education or diversionary initiatives.

6. Location-based projects e.g. adopt-a-space, care-for-an-area by removing graffiti.

7. Enhanced landscape design at targeted sites through planning, fencing and/or other measures.

8. Costs associated with the super vision of people on community service orders to undertake graffiti clean up.

Townsville was one of the Queensland local governments to receive funding through GraffitiSTOP. The funding was used to purchase a graffiti removal quick response van, and the first round of funding was successfully acquitted in 2013. Funding has also been used to deliver artwork projects employing local artists to engage with young offenders and provide mentorship and education about the impacts of vandalism.

v. Youth Network NQ: History of Activity

The Youth Network NQ are a volunteer organisation and the driving force behind the Arts Inc. - Legal Street Art Project, which began by working with IN-STeP to gather a group of young people engaged in the Youth Connections Program.

The aim of working with this group was to educate them on the various forms of Street Art, explore these mediums with them, educate them on legal and safe practices and encourage their own artistic development through workshop delivery.

The first Arts Inc. - Legal Street Art Project saw the participants work on-site at IN-STeP using a practice wall. They were all given a section to paint and were able to come up with their own designs. This was the foundation of building up their techniques.

After the completion of the practice wall, The Youth Network NQ began working with the participants to prepare them for an exhibition to be held in the foyer of the Riverway Arts Centre during September and October 2013. Again the participants were encouraged to work on individual pieces as well as a group art work.

A significant positive outcome from the project was the resultant commissioning of the group to repaint the Railway Estate State School Tuckshop. The young artists were required to create a concept, design the layout and liaise with the school for approval.

Participants were mentored in all aspects of planning, including: how to prepare the surface; how much paint would be required; how long it would take; and safe painting practices. Three workshops were held on-site to complete the mural during the school holidays and the participants were able to extend on their existing techniques and learn some sign writing skills as well. The work was positively received by students, parents, and school staff upon its completion.

To ensure the school community had an opportunity to be involved in the mural the P&C Committee ran a naming competition between the classes. The prize was a healthy morning tea and a selection of resources for their classroom. Some very worthy names were submitted but the winning class was 2R with The Railway Cafe. This project underlines the potential for community inclusivity and collaboration in Street Art projects with positive art outcomes. The project also enjoyed positive media coverage through The Sun Community Newspaper.

It was at this time The Youth Network NQ also began work on the Legal Street Art in the ‘Ville zine.

The process began by having participants create the individual page backgrounds using aerosols as the primary medium, however on a much smaller scale than they had been accustomed to using the medium. Scheduled to be released as part of Operation X during National Youth Week, the launch was rescheduled to mid-2014 due to Cyclone Ita.

The Youth Network NQ have also run a number of workshops, particularly those held during the school holiday periods at Townsville PCYC and Railway Estate State School. The positive relationship with Railway Estate State School was also extended when The Youth Network NQ was requested to continue to brighten up the school. In 2014 the school started running a program called the Six Pillars of Character and the School’s Principal engaged The Youth Network NQ to paint six of the pillars under the main building as a constant reminder to the school community. At this point, the group also completed a ‘Life Long Learning’ mural.

2014 also saw The Youth Network NQ collaborate with Youth Justice Townsville to run programs for young people on Youth Justice Orders, delivering murals at:

• I4Fun

• Centrals Football Club

• Railway Estate State School – 2014 National Anti Bullying Day Mural

The year also saw the launch of the Youth Outreach Program at the Riverway Skate Park in conjunction with the VSM Safe Place and headspace Townsville.

The Youth Network NQ’s involvement has been to utilise its Mobile Legal Wall and give young people an opportunity to paint, and also to consult with participants about what more can be done to reduce illegal graffiti and support legal Street Art opportunities in Townsville.

The Youth Network NQ was engaged in mid2014 to lead the first temporary Street Art display in the Townsville CBD’s City Lane precinct, a positive opportunity that provided some financial reward and encouragement for the young artists.

The Youth Network NQ’s Rachel Cook and Shane Keen have also conducted research on the development of a Children’s Art Housediscussed further in this document - having attended a workshop in Atherton in February run by Shona Hammond-Boys. The aim of the workshop was to introduce arts workers and workshop facilitators to the Children’s Art House Foundation and explore how to set up a Children’s Art House. There are currently 21 Children’s Art Houses across New Zealand and Ms Hammond-Boys is now attracting attention globally for the success these facilities have had.

It is the ultimate goal of The Youth Network NQ to be able to establish Townsville’s own Children’s Art House. The organisation has been running art workshops for young people for the past five years and have had a great deal of success in engaging with a wide range of young people including those who are:

• Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent

• Living with a disability

• Living with a mental illness

• Disengaged from school

• Involved in the Youth Justice system

• Passionate about art

The Railway Cafe

vi. Youth Justice: History of Activity

The goal of the Queensland Government Department of Youth Justice is to provide a fair and balanced response to young people in contact with the youth justice system. This response holds young people accountable for their actions, encourages their reintegration into the community and promotes community safety.

This goal is compatible with the Charter of Youth Justice Principles which underpins the Youth Justice Act 1992.

Youth Justice in Townsville includes the running of a Youth Detention Centre in Cleveland, and employment of a number of staff who seek to proactively and positively engage young offenders in diversionary and alternative pathway programs that encourage their reconnection with the community.

All of these programs fit within four broad categories of intevention as set out in the Youth Justice Intervention Framework:

Court Orders and Bail Support

Statutory orders and directions that must be completed by young people and provide a context for intervention strategies to be developed. As stated under the Youth Justice Act 1992, the supervision of these orders is the responsibility of the local Youth Justice Service or Youth Detention Centre.

Support Services

Assist young people and their families to improve their stability, health and well-being. The preference is that non-government services promote engagement in addressing issues such as homelessness, lack of financial and material resources, current or past experience of harm or risk of harm or neglect, psychological states such as depression, anxiety or trauma and substance misuse treatment. Support services include personal and practical support, and health and therapeutic support.

Offence Focused Intervention

Programs which seek to modify the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that contributed to offending, and hold young people accountable for the impacts of their offending behaviour. Offence-focused intervention should be delivered by Youth Justice Services or Youth Detention Centre staff as the primary provider. Non-government specialist knowledge services may be engaged to continue support needs of the young person.

Developmental Intervention

Aims to improve the capability of a young person reintegrating into the community either from detention and/or when exiting the Youth Justice Service System. The aim is to reduce the impact of risk factors and to increase the number of protective factors in a young person’s life.

As of late 2013, Youth Justice’s engagement with Street Art has centred on graffiti removal orders, particularly given Brisbane’s annual spend of $3.1 million to remove graffiti (by comparison Townsville spends around $100,000).

Between January 2014 and February 2015, there were 15 graffiti removal orders in Townsville, requiring the young person to participate in clean up work for 5 – 20 hours. The main premise of the graffiti removal orders is that, where possible, offenders clean graffiti they have themselves created to make the direct correlation of their actions. Where this isn’t possible, Youth Justice partners with organisations such as the Salvation Army to clean up these premises.

Youth Justice works closely with Townsville City Council on a number of projects, including workshops and the two recent murals on the University Drive sound wall, and at the Kirwan Police Station.

Represented on the Street Art Activation Working Group by Troy Buchanan, the Program Co-ordinator for the Townsville Youth Justice Service Centre, the Department has emphasised the sense of pride felt by participants in these mural projects. Participants are also provided a photograph of the finished product - a physical keepsake of their achievements and in many cases a rare, confidence/self-esteem building example of positive feedback directly resulting from their actions. Such projects have also helped build the relationship between Townsville Youth Justice and the Queensland Police Service. Evidence of this is an article that ran in the Police Gazette following the Kirwan Police Station project.

Beyond the mural, the six regular participants in the Kirwan Police Station project also refreshed the paint on an adjacent wall, and worked in gardens on the premises.

Artist Garth Jankovic led the Kirwan Police Station and University Drive sound wall projects, and found that participants took charge of executing the work, and importantly also analysed the appropriateness of the imagery and style to the context of the location.

Garth’s experience of these workshops (particularly brush work as opposed to aerosol) is that it is a form of tactile therapy for participants. Another benefit is that participants can see, or have explained to them, direct links between the projects and trades/ employment opportunities such as painting or sign writing apprenticeships, an avenue Townsville Youth Justice would like to expand through formal pathways.

The location of the projects undertaken (highly visible) was also found to be a significant factor in the sense of pride felt by participants.

Following one of the University Drive sound wall murals being vandalised, Townsville Youth Justice used the incident as an educational opportunity for participants about the personal impacts of vandalism.

Much of the work undertaken in this area by Townsville Youth Justice has been reliant on GraffitiSTOP funding, which is not confirmed as a long-term funding stream.

vii. Heritage and Urban Planning Unit: History of Activity

Townsville City Council’s Heritage and Urban Planning Unit recognise the transformational power of arts and culture, and the potential of Street Art and Urban Art Interventions in helping realise the city’s place making objectives.

As such, the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit have increasingly sought to initiate or support the creation of art in the city’s public spaces, and, in collaboration with Gallery Services, ensure art outcomes are included in high level master planning and strategic development documents. Many of the Street Art place making objectives relate to CBD Activation and Transformation, such as proposed projects in Ogden Street and the City Waterfront Promenade Project.

The Denham Lane commission completed by Kennie Deaner was one such example of the Unit’s interest in this area, with the project funded by the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit and assisted logistically through Gallery Services. Denham Lane was strategically identified by the Unit as an inner CBD destination with existing Street Art which could be further developed, and build its reputation as a local Street Art destination of note; help encourage neighbouring buildings to participate in the future; and positively shift some negative community perceptions of Street Art.

The Heritage and Urban Planning Unit have approached neighbouring building owners since the successful delivery of this project, and there is agreement to extend this Street Art destination to the adjacent building through another commission in early 2015.

The Heritage and Urban Planning Unit have also been invovled in the delivery of several temporary and pop-up events and cultural projects. For instance, Heritage Day has grown from a basic concept to a much-loved annual event. In 2013, the event attracted 27 varied exhibitors, in spite of numerous conflicting events and inclement weather.

Music in the City, held weekly on Friday afternoons throughout much of 2014 following some one-off pilot events held in 2013, has gradually built, with in excess of 200 patrons recorded on a number of occasions. Such events would complement the aesthetic outcomes of Street Art projects and further improve the CBD’s variety and vitality.

The City Waterfront Promenade Project, which seeks to reinvigorate the city’s most prominent and underutilised asset, Ross Creek, aims to deliver a master plan that connects pathways, promotes access and visibility, and creates zones reflecting current assets and future visions (such as a cultural zone and integrated Street Art, dining, etc.). The project would also connect with existing dining zones such as Palmer Street; the CBD; through to the new cruise ship terminal; and include a Wickham Street Connection to improve pedestrian connection between The Strand and the city. This project will involve the contribution of the community and Street Art initiatives, particularly through links to the Denham Street Underpass that will result from the Animating Spaces funding.

The Heritage and Urban Planning Unit have held preliminary discussions with Gallery Services and developed initial proposals for a project that would activate Ogden Street through integrated and temporary art projects. Establishing Ogden Street as an arts destination would link with Flinders Square, existing and future activity in Denham Lane and City Lane, and provide an attraction/incentive for visitors to come in to the city to see.

Scoping of this site has also included the input of industry leaders such as Professor Steffen Lehmann, PhD (Dr.-Ing.), AA Dipl, Dipl Des. Lehamnn is a GermanAustralian urbanist, author, educator and curator, registered in 1993 as a chartered architect and urban designer in Berlin.

In 2014, Steffen commenced as Head of School and Professor of Architecture, School of Built Environment, Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University, Perth WA, and he has extensive experience in urban art projects that act as a transformation agent in metropolitan centres.

Richard Goodwin, Russell Lowe, Adrian McGregor Seven Metre Bar Sydney, 2009. Part of the Laneways – By George! Hidden Networks project delivered by Prof. Steffen Lehamnn

viii. Local Street Artists: History of Activity

Townsville is home to a strong community of active and talented street artists. The Street Art Activation Working Group acknowledges that, in the absence of a systematic approach to the support, encouragement and provision of opportunities for these artists, it is not fully aware of the greater majority of who these artists are.

However, various council and non-council representatives of the Street Art Activation Working Group have successfully engaged select local street artists in various projects over the years. Some of these artists, and others whom have become notable nationally, point to the depth of the local talent pool; a pool which will only grow with the proposed activation measures.

Some examples of talented local street artists include:

Lee Harnden (LINZ)

As LINZ, an internationally acclaimed and Ironlak-sponsored graffiti writer with a career now spanning 23 years, Harnden’s movements have aligned him with celebrated Australian musicians, artists and sporting personalities. These figures, along with some closer to his heart, form the pith of his work; a realism characterised by the heightened juxtaposition of subject and technique.

There is a brutal honesty in Harnden’s work. While highlighting the rawness of gangland imagery he affords a sentimentalist portrayal of integrity and soul. Lee was extremely active in the Townsville Street Art scene in the early 2000s, working on a number of Council and private commissions before Council’s position began to shy away from activity in this field. Lee is now based in Sydney, but continues to deliver large-scale works in locations all over the world.

Garth Jankovic (Smizler)

Works by Garth Jankovic can be seen in many locations around the city, such as the large-scale mural in Flinders Street East, and resulting works from recent projects he led involving youth participants such as on the University Drive sound wall (Annandale), and the Kirwan Police Station.

Jankovic is an independent North Queensland Artist, specialising in large-scale murals, painting, photography and art education. Jankovic also has some experience in the development of 3-D pavement chalk art, a talent which was utilised by Townsville City Council for a #townsvilleshines event in Townsville Bulletin Square in 2014.

Jankovic’s works are typically steeped in symbolism and touch on themes such as spirituality and the environment. While permanently based in Townsville, Jankovic does conduct work around Australia internationally on occasion.

The RUN Collective

The RUN Collective is a group of Townsvillebased multidisciplinary artists who have collaborated from their shared space The Cot since August 2007.

Self-directed, independent and experimental, the group has largely developed their reputation on the streets and away from the support of large arts institutions. Evidence of the regard with which they are held in north Queensland however, two major exhibitions of the group’s works have been displayed in recognised gallery venues; Tonite We RUN (2009) shown at Umbrella Studio contemporary arts, and an exhibition celebrating The Cot, Urban DK (2011), developed by the artists and Pinnacles Gallery. The group have been a local flag bearer for Street Art for a number of years, completing large works, helping transfer skills to younger audiences, and being involved in the national Street Art community through participation at MAY’S Lane, artwork exchanges, collaborations and conferences.

Nathan Loader (LOADZ)

Having completed his Visual Arts studies at the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE’s Pimlico Campus, Nathan Loader has since moved to Melbourne and is growing a strong following for his character-based pieces in the city’s CBD laneways, such as Hosier Lane. While in Townsville, Loader evidenced his undeniable talent with works included in annual TAFE exhibitions held at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, as well as the successful Youth and Emerging Artist exhibition Decked Out

Kennie Deaner (Baret)

Kennie Deaner is a Townsville street artist who has been involved in a number of commissions and community projects over the past 24 months, most notably the commissioned work in Denham Lane and involvement in the painting of the Riverway Skate Park.

Deaner’s background is traditional graffiti lettering, however over a number of years using these techniques and exploring fine arts, he has been able to blend the two into his current style of urban art. Deaner’s desire is to, “show the public that Street Art doesn’t have to have a stigma of graffiti attached to it. It can be blended with fine art to achieve appeal to all of the public; young and old.”

Artwork by Lee Harnden

ix. Local Businesses and Developers: History of Activity

While there has been a sporadic delivery of Street Art programs and an inconsistent approach to the city’s engagement with street artists in the recent past, numerous local businesses and developers have undertaken significant work.

Without a doubt the most significant and consistent support of the region’s street artists has been undertaken by local small business Cre8ive Sk8. This reputation has been built in part due to their standing as the only local stockist of high quality artist aerosols, in part due to their personal engagement with and encouragement of the street art community in tandem with the local skate community, and also as a result of a revolving outdoor display of works by talented local artists in the business’ carpark.

These works are often the result of coordinated painting meet-ups and events. Cre8ive Sk8 has provided a haven for the city’s street artists for many years without external support or funding, and many lessons can be learnt from the small business’ approach.

While no longer operating, popular Flinders Street East cafe The Sweatshop also engaged with Street Art through a number of methods, namely:

• Display of works by local Street Artists in temporary Gallery exhibitions, such as the first stencil exhibition by a group only known as The Elephant Collective, and a subsequent collaborative show by NiPS, dealer, and Jbee

• Participation in Artist-Run-Initiative events, such as a video work in the shopfront as part of Sneaky Windows

• The encouragement of patrons to draw and write in the toilet facilities

• Regular word art posters and interactive initiatives that sat somewhere between marketing and art interventions

While small businesses such as The Sweatshop and Cre8ive Sk8 have clearly set the standard with respect to programming and understanding the benefits of direct interaction with and encouragement of the region’s street artists, developers are now also beginning to see the potential of high level activity in this field, as highlighted by the recent projects conducted by Lancini Property and Development.

The Sweatshop toilet

With the support of Townsville City Council’s Gallery Services for guidance and advice, Lancini Property and Development undertook the commissioning of highly regarded street artist Fintan Magee to create a large-scale mural in their City Lane development (which was yet-to-be opened at the time), and also established a revolving outdoor exhibition space for local artists, who will be paid an artist fee by the company in each instance the space is changed over.

The project has netted City Lane international exposure through Fintan’s established networks and extremely positive responses from local patrons, all for a relatively small expenditure.

The success of the projects has encouraged the developer to commission Umbrella Studio contemporary art to undertake a paste-up project which will result in the second set of artworks for display in the local artist space, and are also supporting Gallery Services logistically in the commissioning of Lee Harnden to create another significant work in this space, helping further establish it as a highprofile Townsville Street Art destination.

I see elephants exhibition

3. STAKEHOLDERS

3. STAKEHOLDERS

Key stakeholders in the Street Art Activation Framework are identified as:

Townsville City Council

• Gallery Services

• Community Development

• L egal Services

• P lanning and Development

• Corporate Safety

• Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

• Marketing and Communications

• Engineering Services

• Property Management

• Community and Cultural Committee

• Planning and Development Committee

• Art Acquisition Working Group

Community/Organisations

• Townsville Street Art Community

• Townsville Region Youth

• Townsville Residents

• Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers

• L ocal Traders/Retailers

• Townsville Businesses

• Developers

• Not-for-profit Community Groups

• Regional, National and International Cultural Tourists

• Department of Youth Justice

• Q ueensland Police

• The Youth Network NQ

• Media O utlets

• Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Schools/ Institutions in the Townsville Region

• Regional, State, National and International Arts Sector Organisations and Institutions

• Townsville Enterprise Limited

• Tourism and Events Queensland

• Department of Main Roads, Queensland Government

Regan Tamanui aka Ha!Ha! hosting a Stencil Art workshop at Pinnacles Gallery in 2013.

4. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Street Art Activation Framework and the Activation Sites, Activation Programs, and Activation Enablers described herein are aligned with the numerous city planning documents and policies outlined in section 13. If allocated the resources required to be achieved, these objectives outline how the activation of endorsed and supported Street Art activity in Townsville can significantly enhance and contribute to the region’s Social, Cultural, Recreational, and Economic vitality and prosperity; and its effective Urban Planning.

i. Cultural

Professional Development: Assist the learning, training and professional development of the city’s street artists and creative professionals through structured workshops and programs.

Provide Career Opportunities: Assist local artists in furthering their career and attracting further opportunities outside of the region by attracting increased national coverage for a via a dynamic program of opportunities and activities.

Value Arts and Culture: Firmly value and position the arts and culture as pivotal in shaping our public spaces and fostering community pride.

Diversify Arts and Cultural Product: Encourage greater diversity in the arts and cultural product being produced and displayed in Townsville, contributing to the sector’s vitality and the appeal of the arts to a broader audience.

ii. Economic

CBD Activation:

Through activity conducted in the CBD as a priority zone, contribute to Townsville’s CBD Activation objectives by providing diverse activity to interest residents and attract visitation.

Domestic Cultural Tourism: Position Townsville as a regional leader in the development and presentation of Street Art in a national context, encouraging domestic cultural tourism to view and participate in the program.

Arts and Cultural Economy: Strengthen the Townsville arts and cultural sector through capacity building and the fostering of more commissioned work and employment opportunities. The strengthening of this sector benefits the Townsville economy as a whole by contributing to its diversity, and the promotion of innovation via a strong creative class.

iii. Recreational

Responding to Youth Needs:

Beyond the CBD priority zone, activation zones will be established in locations sympathetic to Street Art activity and youth needs. These locations will be determined through the volume of youth frequenting these areas, the types of adjacent facilities and amenities (i.e. skate parks, etc.), and close proximity to areas which have recorded high levels of reported vandalism over the previous 12 month period. The provision of a greater volume of more appealing recreational options for the city’s youth will encourage their positive engagement with the community and help provide alternative pathways to illegal pursuits.

Diversity of Community Interests:

The activation of an endorsed Street Art program will recognise the sophistication and diversity of interests of Townsville residents.

Build Interest in Public Spaces: Build interest in Townsville’s highly frequented public spaces and social gathering spots through Street Art activities, permanent works and temporary art interventions.

iv. Social

Increased Organisational Collaboration: The delivery of Street Art projects will be improved through the formalised, increased collaboration between relevant organisations already active in this area. This will result in the delivery of projects on an increased scale and significance, and skill/resource sharing.

Connecting the City’s Youth with Essential Services:

Utilise Street Art as an effective means by which to involve the city’s youth, build self-worth and self-esteem, encourage creative expression, and connect them with essential services to address issues as varied as mental health, homelessness, substance abuse, and legal offences. While some such programs already exist, they are delivered in an opportunistic fashion as limited funding is currently available. A more considered, committed, consistent and strategic program would be developed and delivered through this Framework

Addressing Vandalism: The city’s young street artists and those with previous recorded vandalism offences can be encouraged to pursue legitimate art careers through the establishment and provision of legal alternative options, pathways, and development opportunities.

Civic Pride:

The enhancement of civic pride through the rolling out of a positive framework of initiatives, and the increased vitality and visual interest achieved in the city’s public spaces.

Community Awareness and Education: Foster a greater level of community awareness and appreciation of Street Art (as distinct from vandalism, which people would be directed to report through GraffitiSTOP). In tandem, the community and particularly youth at risk of offending can be clearly informed through various means of the illegality of vandalism, the potential consequences to them personally and to those that the offence impacts, and the legal alternatives available.

Open Communication: Provide a greater conduit for communication between Townsville City Council and the community to seek feedback about Street Art programs and gauge community views and expectations about activity in this field.

Accessibility:

Deliver a program that is broadly accessible, irrespective of discursive, cultural or socioeconomic background. Encourage social expression and connection through art in public spaces, and ensure amenities that encourage community interaction with practicing street artists to debunk negative safety connotations associated with the artform.

Garth Jankovic leads a project with various artists with a disability to create a signature mural on the House with no Steps building. Collaborative project between Townsville City Council and House with no Steps funded by GraffitiSTOP, 2014.

v. Urban Planning

Urban Design: Identify, create and nurture development outcomes providing environmentally responsive, functional, as well as desirable urban environs. This will be achieved through continued professional development, consultation, as well as collaboration of industry leaders, community groups and professional organisations.

Place Making: Rejuvenate community interest; promote positive, interactive, high quality and desirable destinations through the implementation of audible, visual, as well as physical cultural activities within urban spaces.

Community Engagement: Establish enduring relationships, whilst building durable and diverse community connections with a variey of spaces/places within the City. Utilise communal projects, grants funding as well as community consultation, to engage, empower and connect community groups with activation opportunities.

Urban Transformation: Stimulate economic development, cultural diversity, as well as social interaction with heritage and cultural values including the city’s natural environmental assets. Utilising Urban Design strategies, Place Making Activities, as well as Community Engagement opportunities, position Townsville as an internationally desirable destination.

Yandell Walton talks with visitors to LUXLUMIN. Photo: Lauren Dunn

5. ACTIVATION SITES

i. Overview

While the ultimate mark of a healthy Street Art community in Townsville will be an organic and dynamic turnover of artworks in all mediums within the urban environment, it is vital that priority Activation Sites are strategically identified in this formative phase.

Just as infrastructure and services are most effectively delivered when conceived as part of a thorough city Master Plan, the city’s approach to Street Art activation will hinge on the careful consideration and utilisation of various sites.

Priority Activation Sites will be selected in response to several key objectives:

• Clear links to major City Master Planning objectives whereby Street Art would significantly contribute to urban place making. Examples include the CBD Activation Strategy and the Townsville City Waterfront PDA. Street Art can help define the ‘feel’ of the destination - where traditional graffiti works may heighten the urban laneway feel of sites such as Denham Lane, a re-envisaging of a location such as Gregory Street may benefit from the commissioning of more refined fine art works presented in the urban environment

• Thorough evidence of a need for supported Street Art activity in a locality, such as areas with ongoing graffiti issues as identified using data from Council’s AUSGR reporting system. Activation in these locations will act as diversionary programs and provide valuable evidence of alternative pathways for youth-at-risk

• Provision of recreation and services to cater for residents across the broader region and to involve a range of cultural groups and demographics

Activation of sites will not occur simultaneously, rather they will be rolled out in a phased/staged manner to ensure the program is sustainable and engenders broad community support.

The method of activation in the various priority Activation Sites will also vary depending on the identified objective and history of activity in the area.

For example, high visibility priority Activation Sites may benefit from the commissioning of significant works to help evidence the value and artistic merit of Street Art to those members of the public who may be critical due to the stigma of ‘graffiti’. This is an initial strategy that proved extremely effective in Adelaide, and similar benefits can already be seen in the warm reception of works by Fintan Magee (City Lane) and Kennie Deaner (Denham Lane).

High traffic civic spaces could better engage visitors through the temporary placement of urban art interventions eliciting interaction, whereas sites noted for existing graffiti activity could be transformed to positively engage both artists and the community if designated as Legal Free Walls and supported by the necessary amenities/infrastructure.

Fintan Magee with his work The Tower (detail) 2014, street art mural painted in City Lane, Townsville. Commissioned by Lancini Property and Development.

Photo: Honey Atkinson, Insight Creative.

ii. Mapping of Graffiti Activity

The successful activation of Street Art in Townsville will hinge on the thorough analysis and identification of priority activation sites.

As previously discussed, these sites will be identified due to their links to master planning and CBD activation initiatives; response to demonstrated needs as evidenced by reported graffiti rates through the AUSGR system; and delivery of services to the greater Townsville region, meaning a preference for some form of activation in each of the Divisions.

Provided in the pages following is data from the 12 months (1 October 2013 - 30 September 2014) preceding the development of this Framework gathered through the Townsville City Council AUSGR system, which records graffiti incidents reported as requiring removal by the public and Council staff.

In total, 503 graffiti jobs were logged during this reporting period. Division 3 had the most recorded graffiti, with 132 separate incidents, accounting for 26.24% of the total activity.

This data has then been used to generate heat maps of graffiti reports to visualise priority activation sites.

Opposite: Maps of the Townsville region depicting the reported graffiti incidents as noted in the preceding AUSGR data, from October 2013 - September 2014.

The top heat map gives a visual overview of the areas with higher rates of vandalism, while the bottom map provides numbers of reported incidents in the immediate areas.

iii. Identified Activation Sites

This map indicates the six Identified Activation Sites that will be priority areas.

These six initial Activation Sites will be established in a staggered fashion over a series of years.

Graffiti will continue to be monitored to inform the possible activation of further sites in other suburbs and divisions of Townsville.

In the following pages, each of these six Identified Activation Sites are discussed in greater detail.

Priority Activation Site 3: Kelso

Priority Activation Kirwan/Riverway

Priority Activation Site 4: Heatley/Vincent

Activation Site 2: Kirwan/Riverway

Priority Activation Site 1: Townsville CBD

Priority Activation Site 6: Annandale/Hermit Park/Oonoonba

Priority Activation Site 5: Aitkenvale/Cranbrook

Priority Activation Site 1: Townsville CBD

Based on the sheer volume of activity, and also with respect to established CBD Activation and city master planning objectives, the Townsville CBD is the first Priority Activation Site.

The inner CBD will be the location for continued commissions of significant artworks, further developing the growing reputation of sites such as Denham Lane and City Lane as high quality Street Art destinations, and engendering positive community sentiment.

Activation of Ogden Street is also a priority, in line with projects being lead by the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit and also in response to the high volume of tagging recorded in this location.

Either in Ogden Street, or an alternative inner CBD location if Ogden Street does not present as a feasible location, the first Legal Free Wall will need to be developed. It is hoped that this initiative would:

• Channel the energies of street artists and taggers

• Draw the activity currently occurring in surrounding areas away from these locations. Particularly redirecting the vandalism noted on The Strand is desirable, as the parkland does not present as a suitable location for Street Art activation

• Develop a positive community outcome for the CBD’s improved vibrancy, as in the Hosier Lane (Melbourne) and Morphett Street Bridge (Adelaide) examples

Priority Activation Site 2: Kirwan/Riverway

The activity occurring in Kirwan/Riverway is spread out, however it is noted that concentrations of activity are to be seen at the Riverway precinct itself, near the Thuringowa Civic Centre, and close to shopping centres and the Council depot on Bamford Lane.

Delivering professional development workshops and temporary activity in the first year in Kirwan is seen as a temporary measure, and ultimately the establishment of a Legal Free Wall is desirable, only if:

• A suitable location can be determined. Riverway presents some options, and is potentially desirable due to the potential for recreating members of the public to interact with artists, but also significant risks associated with recent security issues

• The model for the CBD Legal Free Wall has proven to be or been modified to be successful

As with the CBD project, it is hoped that the establishment of one recognised destination for legal Street Art may draw the scattered activity (generally) into one centralised and positive venue.

Further, the potential for linkages between programs and schools, such as Kirwan State High School, and existing activity such as the Tavern Street murals, is high.

SITES

Priority Activation Site 3: Kelso

With the exception of a single location in Hammond Way, the majority of illegal graffiti in Kelso has been occurring along the main road, Riverway Drive, running parallel to the Ross River.

Charles Moroney Park appears to be a drawcard, as do businesses and infrastructure/signage along this road.

As with the Kirwan/Riverway activation, delivering professional development workshops and temporary activity in the first year in Kelso is seen as a temporary measure, and ultimately the establishment of a Legal Free Wall is desirable, only if:

• A suitable location can be determined. Charles Moroney Park or a high visibility location along the Ross River present some options, and are potentially desirable due to the potential for recreating members of the public to interact with artists

• The model for the CBD Legal Free Wall has proven to be or been modified to be successful

Further, the potential for linkages between programs and schools, such as Thuringowa State High School, and existing activity such as murals on local shopping centres, is high.

Priority Activation Site 4: Heatley/Vincent

Heatley Park, Cambridge Park, and nearby shopping centres and schools appear to be the most frequented locations by taggers and vandals in Heatley and Vincent.

The proposed activation in these suburbs wouldn’t occur until the third year following the endorsement of the Framework, and therefore professional development and workshop opportunities need to be targetted to these areas. Given the concentration of activity near Heatley Secondary College, direct engagement with this student cohort is suggested.

A Legal Free Wall within one of the two aforementioned parks is a possible option, pending the success of suburban projects undertaken in Kirwan/Riverway and Kelso. Potential security and youth issues would need to be assessed.

Priority Activation Site 5: Aitkenvale/Cranbrook

Aitkenvale/Cranbrook provides the most challenging current graffiti landscape due to its lack of any single point of concentration.

It is suggested that, like Heatley/Vincent, proposed activations in these suburbs doesn’t occur until the third year following the endorsement of the Framework, and therefore professional development and workshop opportunities need to be targetted to these areas.

After activations in the preceding locations, further study of graffiti reports in these suburbs should be conducted to assess if:

• Activations in other suburbs has diminished the need for any permanent infrastrcture in this locale

• If a more obvious point of concentration has become apparent

Priority Activation Site 6: Annandale/Hermit Park/Oonoonba

Annandale/Hermit Park/Oonoonba also present a logistical challenge as there are high rates of activity, but they are again spread in various locations over large expanses of land.

As with Aitkenvale/Cranbrook, proposed activations in these suburbs shouldn’t occur until the third year following the endorsement of the Framework, and therefore professional development and workshop opportunities need to be targetted to these areas in the interim.

After activations in the preceding locations, further study of graffiti reports in these suburbs should be conducted to assess if:

• Activations in other suburbs has diminished the need for any permanent infrastrcture in this locale

• If a more obvious point of concentration has become apparent

While a concetration of activity is apparent in Love Lane, this residential location isn’t appropriate for activation, nor is the nearby Golf Club. Should activity and infrastructure still be necessary, opportunities in parkland along the Ross River may need to be researched.

6. ACTIVATION PROGRAMS

i. Overview

Where work undertaken in response to the identification of priority Activation Sites will harness the creative energy of the city’s youth in a positive manner, a variety of Activation Programs proposed under this Street Art Activation Framework will help transfer skills and develop Townsville’s reputation as a regional Australian leader in this artform.

A number of key projects are already being delivered across the region by various Townsville City Council departments and external organisations:

• Professional Development Projects and Workshops

• SHIF T: elevator art project

• LUXLUMIN: lighting up the city

• Strand Ephemera

• Graffiti Program funded through the GraffitiSTOP Funding Program

The strength of these projects alone evidence the limitless potential for a systematic activation of Street Art in Townsville.

Further, all of these projects - particularly the recent success of the SHIFT: elevator art project and LUXLUMIN: lighting up the cityshowcase the diversity of practice that would be supported by Street Art activation guided by this Framework, i.e. Activation Programs would not be limited to traditional graffiti and muralistic works, but would extend to projection, urban art interventions, sculpture, etc.

With endorsement, a number of proposed new Activation Programs would be further researched to ascertain their feasibility, and pending positive findings, delivered.

As with the priority Activation Sites, Activation Programs would be delivered in a carefully considered and phased manner, again to ensure sustainability and gradually build community affection for Street Art.

Proposed Activation Programs include:

• Children’s Art House - a concept that has been preliminarily investigated by The Youth Network NQ and is based on the stunning success of Children’s Art Houses first established in New Zealand in 1999 by Shona Hammond-Boys

• Mobile Canvas - investigating how Council fleet vehicles, particularly its Garbage Trucks, can be transformed to be mobile canvases displaying works by local artists to audiences all over the city

• Animating Spaces - a funding program delivered through ArtsLink, and secured by Community Development. Initial concepts for projects to be delivered using this funding have links to Street Art activation

The final Activation Program to be delivered would truly put Townsville on the map - a National Street Art Prize. If achieved in the urban environment, this project would be nationally unique, and anticipate it would attract the participation of significant street artists locally, nationally, and potentially internationally.

Townsville’s 1RAR Band perform at Music in the City.

ii. Urban Art Interventions

With abundant interesting and in many cases underutilised public spaces, Townsville’s urban landscape could be radically reinvigorated through the encouragement of Urban Art Interventions and Street Installations.

Urban Art Interventions seek to intervene with already existing art works, with people or with a specific area. These were made of a great use by Stuckists, who were followers of an International art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson, and aim at stimulating modifications and initiating some form of change, most immediately in the way people view and experience a particular place.

Street Installations use three dimensional spaces in which objects are set in an urban environment.

In his keynote address at the 2013 Public Art Symposium, held as part of Strand Ephemera, Professor Steffen Lehmann outlined the enormous potential for these forms of art to be transformative agents and provide vibrancy.

One example Lehmann provided of this form of art was the work Forgotten Songs by Michael Thomas Hill. Originally commissioned as part of By George Hidden Networks, the City’s 2009 temporary laneway art program which was curated by Lehmann and held from 1 October 2009 - 31 January 2010, the work commemorates the songs of fifty birds once heard in central Sydney before they were gradually forced out of the city by European settlement.

Due to the work’s success, the City of Sydney’s Public Art Advisory Panel recommended to Council in March 2010 that the City should make the work permanent and incorporate it into the upgrade of Angel Place.

It is generally felt this type of artform would be best featured in the CBD, in locations such as Denham Street, Flinders Street, or as part of projects such as the proposed redevelopment of Ogden Street.

However, it is also noted that the most successful examples of Urban Art Interventions and Street Installations share an innovative and direct engagement with the site. In this, artists could have concepts that would see the work most successfully positioned in locations other than the CBD.

While CBD activation through Urban Art Interventions will be encouraged, the Toolkits that will be made available for artists will need to provide advice and guidelines for those artists wanting to develop work in this area, not solely aimed at mural-based work.

Michael Thomas Hill Forgotten Songs Completed 2011

iii. Legal Free Walls

The activation of Legal Free Walls will be the most challenging aspect of Townsville’s Street Art activation, both logisitcally and in terms of management of community sentiment. It is, however, also perhaps the most pivotal activation measure in terms of building a truly active and dynamic Street Art community and valued opportunities for artists and youth.

Evidence of the success of such initiatives can be seen in the laneways of Melbourne, which are constantly abuzz with artists at work and interested onlookers, and in the legal walls established by Adelaide City Council.

In the case of Adelaide’s Legal Free Walls, there was a clear distinction from Commissions and other forms of activation, and a similar distinction would be made in Townsville.

Adelaide’s Free Walls are designated street art zones where artists are authorised to paint, and utilise more ephemeral techniques of stencils, paste ups etc. These designated spaces would provide a fluid, organic location where artwork can spontaneously occur. Such a site would be covered by a blanket Development Application, so that individual artists do not need to seek approval for each artwork. Clearly, offensive material could not be tolerated and need to be monitored and removed, and therefore budget would need to be allocated for this.

While it continues to be a trial and error process, Adelaide City Council has been extremely successful in establishing an active and generally respectful Street Art community, largely due to the activation of Legal Free Walls, and in turn has built community support.

Perhaps the most successful Legal Free Wall in the Adelaide example has been the one positioned beneath the Morphett Street bridge. The site is particularly well located and Adelaide City Council’s Public Art Assistant Maria Tsounis states that the site is “high visibility, open –meaning appropriate ventilation, a vibrant addition to the cultural precinct, but not an area where people are working or remaining in for long periods of time for it to be a health issue.”

An internal review of the site also stressed the positive impacts and potential of the Morphett Street Bridge Legal Free Wall:

• You can see the artists working in broad daylight

• There is potential for engagement with disenfranchised youth

• Developing relevant programs

Tsounis continued, “The Morphett Street site has some positives - I have spoken to some of the young people attracted to the site and some young aspiring graffiti artists have indicated they would respond to mentorship opportunities by respected street artists.”

Tsounis indicated the Morphett Street bridge site was “painted almost daily, with people travelling to the city from outer suburbs to utilise the space.”

It is important to note that this Legal Free Wall replaced two previously failed attempts at such an activation.

This underlines the importance of meticulous planning and scoping of potential sites prior to activation.

Tsounis states that an initial Legal Free Wall located in Topham Mall “needed to be re-purposed as after a very successful first year it began to be overrun by ‘taggers’, who were simply tagging over artworks and also working outside the confines of the wall within the Mall. It simply became not what we envisaged, and also blew out our cleaning budget.”

Health and Safety issues associated with the Topham Mall site also necessitated its closure. In short, the site was established with intended timeframes (outside of business hours) that artists could paint, as ventilation in the site fed directly into local businesses. Artists operated outside of these hours, and hence local businesses were affected by fumes.

Following the Topham Mall Legal Free Wall closure and prior to the activation under the Morphett Street Bridge, an interim solution of small boards fixed to a wire fence in a run-down part of the city was offered. The swift and reactive manner in which this alternative was established, and the rushed and ineffective communication of Topham’s closure both internally to council and externally to the community resulted in negative media coverage and a volatile reaction from the Street Art community.

Townsville would do well to learn from the events in Adelaide, and set a number of key considerations for its own potential Legal Free Walls.

Key Considerations

• Suitability of activated zone with reference to the known locations of high volume graffiti reports

• Proximity to amenities such as drinking water and restrooms

• V isible locations where members of the public can engage with the artists and activities can be monitored

• Provision of adequate lighting so the sites can be used at any time

• Investigate the addition of other features, such as music playing, which would ensure the locations are inviting to all and in an attempt to promote engagement between artists and the public - helping break down the safety stigma attached to graffiti

• Approval and understanding of the purpose and risks of such an activation from any necessary building/business owners

• Reasonable distance from any property which could be defaced. That is, understand that while a designated legal zone for painting can be established, worldwide trends show that street artists will still paint outside of these confines to a degree. This is often to referred to as ‘creep’.

Morphett Street Bridge Free Wall, Adelaide

iv. Commissions

Townsville has no shortage of redundant spaces and blank walls that could lend themselves to artistic intervention and creative treatment.

The commissioning of a select number of significant Street Art works would certainly be a positive move to ameliorate many sites across the city that currently present as free exhibition spaces without patrons.

This potential, clearly, is an advantage to adding to the image of the city, and aligns strongly with Gallery Services’ Visual Arts Strategy, as well as strategic master planning, place making and rejuvenation projects being undertaken by Council.

Such commissions, if professionally managed and undertaken by suitably qualified artists, can significantly enhance the city’s uniqueness and improve the affection for the city’s public spaces in both residents and visitors to the region.

The success of two major recent commissionsthose completed by Fintan Magee in City Lane and Kennie Deaner in Denham Lane - should also be noted. These projects have been broadly popular, encouraged positive viral marketing of Townsville as a dynamic region through social networks, and helped shape a more positive community opinion of Street Art.

For these reasons, and on the back of evidence gathered from a similar strategy employed while the activation of Street Art was in its infancy in Adelaide, it is proposed that:

• Gallery Services undertakes the commissioning of two major Street Art works annually, to be reviewed after a period of three years, at which time the establishment of an Annual National Street Art Prize may negate the need for further new works being commissioned

• Through the development and provision of Toolkits for both Artists and Building Owners, the Street Art Activation Framework seeks to encourage parties external to Townsville City Council to conceive and undertake their own commissions of Street Art works, and will provide support and guidance as required and practical

• W ith respect to the phasing of Activation Programs, Commissions will form the first phase, and a key component in the associated Communication Strategy. This is due to the fact that these projects, unlike projects such as Legal Free Walls, have less risk attached as they are developed under controlled and monitored circumstances. Further, major commissioned works, as was proven in Adelaide’s activation, help re-shape community sentiment to value Street Art as a ‘legitimate’ public artform, which will ease the reception of subsequent Activation Programs

• The capture of high quality visual assets related to these commissions (of the final works and the artists creating the pieces) will be utilised in the marketing of the city’s Street Art activation, but moreover can provide Townsville with a unique visual identity to help market the region and promote tourism

• Gallery Services will seek to engage a mix of local and national artists to undertake commission opportunities. This is to ensure the skills development of our local artists and investment in our local arts economy, while also providing the region and its artists access to noted practitioners to enhance technical abilities and professional networks. In addition, the commissioning of a select number of nationally recognised artists will widen the marketing horizon for the region and its Street Art culture

Proposed Commissions will be assessed through the Art Acquisition Working Group before being undertaken as they will form part of the City of Townsville Art In Public Spaces Collection, however with an understanding that the work will have a limited lifespan by comparison with works such as permanent sculptures.

The careful siting of Commissions will also need to take into account:

• Appropriateness of surface

• High visibility/traffic for maximum impact and exposure

• Links to CBD Activation, City Waterfront PDA, and other prime ‘destination’ and place making objectives, such as the continued establishment of City Lane and Denham Lane as key Street Art venues

• Potential impact on neighbouring businesses and building owners

Kennie Deaner’s street art mural in Denham Lane. Commissioned by Townsville City Council.

v. City of Townsville Art In Public Spaces Collection

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.

To inform future developments, Gallery Services sought to undertake a thorough assessment of the city’s public art collection. The assessment has included documentation, condition reports and conservation recommendations, and has been completed. The assessment will form the basis of a developed maintenance schedule detailing plans for the preservation of the city’s public artworks, and will also inform the future development of online and physical public art trails to increase access to the works by the public.

The assessments also fully revealed the large scope of work required within this area, and a dedicated Public Art Officer has commenced with Gallery Services to address this need. 216 public artworks and cultural assets in the public realm have been documented and each will require observation, publication quality documentation, remedial and scheduled maintenance.

While Street Art isn’t as readily identified as ‘public art’ as traditional sculptures may be, this artform forms an important subset of the City of Townsville Art In Public Spaces Collection and will continue to grow with the proposed activation set out in this Framework, largely through those works commissioned by Gallery Services.

By taking a broad view of the development of Townsville’s Art In Public Spaces (being both traditional permanent works, and the temporary work in any media or traditional murals identified as ‘Street Art’) a number of synergies and opportunities can be identified.

These opportunities include but are not limited to:

• Enhanced promotional avenues for Townsville’s Street Art activation, likely directed to more traditional or conservative arts audiences

• The potential to develop Street Art trails to enable visitors to conduct self-guided tours, in-line with the public art trails planned for development

• Greater consideration during master planning of civic spaces which will identify how Street Art can co-exist with traditional public artworks to transform the city’s public places to unique visual experiences

• O bservation by the Public Art Officer which will result in prompt recommendations for commissioned works needing maintenance or removal (as deemed required)

Jane Howlett Oceanic images [detail] Plywood, size variable, Restored

2014.

Photograph: Sarah Welch

vi. Professional Development Projects and Workshops

Professional Development Projects and Workshops will form an integral part of the Street Art Activation Framework

These are the activities that will expand the skill set of the region’s homegrown creative talent, build resilience in the sector, and encourage an active and vibrant Street Art scene.

Further, these are also the Activation Programs that will make clear connections between Street Art and possible career pathways by building larger audiences and valuable contact networks for those emerging artists wishing to take the next step in their career, and by providing legal alternative avenues and mentors/ role models for youth-at-risk and young graffiti offenders.

Currently, a number of organisations including Townsville City Council through Gallery Services, and Community Development; Youth Justice; The Youth Network NQ; Umbrella Studio contemporary arts; and La Luna Youth Arts all deliver varying workshops related to Street Art and targeted at different age groups.

These workshops are generally linked to overarching projects, or form part of a recurring series, such as:

• Art Escape School Holiday Workshop Series

• Weekly Youth Outreach Project and regular children’s programs

• Annual Youth Exhibitions

• Projects led by experienced artists with a major artwork outcome, delivered infrequently as funding is available

Through the Street Art Activation Framework it is proposed that these initiatives will be supported in their continuation, and an analysis of target audience gaps conducted to ensure professional development opportunities in this field are available across the board.

Further, it would be highly encouraged that all significant Street Art Activation Sites incorporate a Professional Development Project or Workshop component. This would particularly relate to Legal Free Walls and Commissions, where artists would be engaged to:

• V isit a Legal Free Wall to informally mentor artists frequenting the space at designated times

• Deliver a workshop, mentoring, or public artist talk component when engaged to deliver a major commissioned artwork

Fintan Magee was engaged to deliver a free public artist talk as part of his City Lane commission in 2014

vii. Children’s Art House

In February 2014, Tablelands Regional Council, with funding through the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), engaged Shona Hammond-Boys to begin investigating the possibility of establishing a Children’s Art House.

Shona Hammond Boys QSM (NZ) has spent a lifetime as an arts educator. As the driving force and founder of the NZ Children’s Art House Foundation Trust (NZCAHF), Shona was able to impart her knowledge and experience through public introductory meetings and individual appointments throughout the Tablelands. Representatives of The Youth Network NQ were among those to meet with Shona, and brought their findings and enthusiasm back to the Street Art Activation Working Group.

Four years after Shona opened an art school for children in the 5 to 11 age range, the first Children’s Art House was opened in 1996, in the North Shore suburb of Mairangi Bay, part of the greater Auckland City region. In 1999, the NZCAHF was formed and set-up its first national headquarters in the King Country town of Kihikihi, from where the concept of developing a nationwide network of Children’s Art Houses was put into motion, part of a vision that started over 20 years ago.

In June 2011, Shona travelled to the USA where she was awarded the Volunteer Service Award by President Obama for services to children’s art.

What is an Art Club or Art House?

The ‘ArtHouse’ is the heart of the Children’s Art Club educational system. A house where the students are able to meet outside of school hours and enjoy freedom of visualised, art-based expression that is not available in a structured, formal school classroom setting. An environment where the student is free to express their thoughts and feelings through an art brush, paint and paper under the caring supervision of a teacher who supports and nurtures the individual visualisation expression, and doesn’t try and direct an artistic outcome. In essence, creative children ensure creative communities.

Why an Art Club?

Around the world, communities are warming to the idea that children need art and creativity for health and wellbeing and that it is important to growing a thriving community.

According to Ms. Hammond-Boys, the impact of a Children’s Art Club on the community can be easily seen in the smaller rural sectors whether the work is done in a garage, an old barn or shed. She has previously stated, “We need all the Art education opportunities we can muster in the community to combat growing cycles of despair expressed by children and youth about being stranded in our societies.”

Opotiki Public Youth Art Murals

The establishment of Children’s Art Clubs and a Children’s Art House in a town can lead to vastly improved community outcomes in cultural vibrancy, community engagement and resilience, as well as artistic competency. This has been proven to be the case in the New Zealand town of Opotiki where the incidence of youth graffiti and tagging has been reduced from a serious problem in 2006 with dozens of offenders to almost none in 2013.

Shona Hammond-Boys was the driving force behind this success. In addition, the town has benefitted by the development of some twenty large scale murals across the town in prime locations. This had led to a civic pride and cultural tourism benefit with paid guided tours available to view the murals. For further information about this program, view: www.arthouse.org.nz

The Street Art Activation Framework proposes that Townsville City Council supports The Youth Network NQ in its further investigation into the possible establishment of a Children’s Art House in Townsville, particularly located in the CBD.

While a number of Townsville-based organisations already deliver children’s art activities and engage in educational programs, these are largely in the form of structured technical lessons. The Children’s Art House model of providing a consistent venue for uninhibited creative expression is a departure from these existing services, and as noted in the case of the town of Opotiki, has clear links to the reduction of graffiti rates by youth and has resulted in the creation of public murals and artworks which the wider community views with pride.

If further investigation of the establishment of a Children’s Art House evidences that the project is feasible, it is anticipated that groups such as The Youth Network NQ and Youth Justice and their participants would greatly benefit from the more consistent youth engagement opportunities.

viii. Mobile Canvas

Inspired by The Youth Network NQ’s ingenuity in developing a mobile graffiti wall on which it can conduct aerosol art workshops around the city, the Street Art Activation Working Group endeavoured to think of methods of mobile display that would enable Street Art to reach broader audiences throughout Townsville.

The mobile canvas concept also responds indirectly to the age-old custom of graffiti artists painting trains. As the artform was/is illegal, it was (prior to the Gallery sector and wider community’s increased recognition of Street Art’s legitimacy) a method used by graffiti artists to have their work seen by larger audiences and outside of their home city.

The proposed Townsville mobile canvas concept won’t increase exposure outside of Townsville, but will see works travel throughout the city.

It is thought that the garbage fleet managed by Townsville Water and Waste would be best suited to this project as the trucks:

• Move throughout the entire city

• Would not be adversely or permanently affected by the placement of artwork if done in an approved manner

• Already are utilised for advertising

• Have space for large work. Depanding on the truck, the side panel display spaces measure 4550mm x 1818mm (tandem axel), or 3465mm x 1818mm (single axel)

If this Activation Program were to be undertaken, artworks would need to be printed on to a ‘skin’ or large vinyl sticker, likely through Council’s Graphics Department.

Gallery Services would be able to assist in the high quality photographic capture of artworks selected for display on the moving canvas.

If approved, it is also thought this program would provide a high profile medium for the rotational encouragement of specific sub-genres of Street Art, for example quarterly displays of the best selected Stencils, followed by Characters, Pieces/ Throwups, and Poster/Paste-Up design.

Vision of Garbage Truck Mobile Canvas

ix. Animating Spaces

Animating Spaces is an innovative, three-year state-wide multi-arts project that will revitalise and celebrate significant or unusual spaces within fifteen regional communities through locally-driven arts activities and events.

Communities have the opportunity to reimagine their town, employ local artists and creatives, build capacity, develop cultural project management skills, receive mentoring, support and funding assistance to present three arts projects.

Townsville is one of five towns and cities that will take up the challenge in 2015, the others being Ravenswood, Mackay, Logan and Ipswich. Projects will begin in December 2014 with a concept development webinar, followed by a two-day training intensive in February with events taking place between August and September 2015.

The project offers communities:

• The opportunity to decide on three arts activities and locations they will activate

• Cultural project management skills development for a project coordinator including mentorship, assistance and honorarium payment

• Funding and assistance to present workshops, exhibitions or performances

Townsville’s application was developed by Community Development, Townsville City Council, in consultation with various internal and external stakeholders.

The Townsville project will engage experienced artsworker Alexandre Christopher as the Community Coordinator, supported by three Project Coordinators; Michelle Hall, Aaron Ashley, and Fairlie Sandilands.

The specific aims of the Townsville Animating Spaces projects have been identified as:

• Promoting the value of arts and culture as a key strategy for regional renewal

• CBD renewal and space activation through collaboration between local business and art community and between arts disciplines

• Increased creative opportunities for engagement of young people between 17-24 years and for intergenerational collaboration

• To showcase the breadth of artistic talent in our region, and for external input to be of direct benefit to Townsville’s artists

• Focus on a sustainable element, to plan for life of the spaces after the project

These projects will be supported by Townsville City Council, but essentially driven by and created from within the community.

This project has objectives that are sympathetic to those set out within this Framework, and will seek to employ methods of making art and engaging the community that would clearly be defined as ‘Street Art’ within this Framework (i.e. temporary urban interventions, public projection works, etc.)

There is great potential to support the Animating Spaces project objective of planning for life of these spaces after the completion of the temporary projects as a vehicle to also activate public spaces with Street Art.

Townsville Bulletin Square, located on Stokes Street between Ogden Street and Sturt Street

x. SHIFT: elevator art project

In 2014, Gallery Services initiated SHIFT: elevator art project, a new Creative Spaces program that has employed north Queensland artists to activate non-traditional art spaces and transform them with innovative artwork designs into locations of significance.

Gallery Services rolled out this program by commissioning four local artists to create artwork for a four-month display across four CBD venues who had agreed to participate. These venues were Central, Federation Place, Northtown and Townsville Civic Theatre.

A second phase of the project employed a new batch of artists, rejuvenated activated spaces, and saw the addition of Townsville City Council’s Walker Street building as a venue.

The project has already seen dynamic and contemporary local artworks installed with the aim to challenge the concept of what defines a public art space, and to cross boundaries in terms of contemporary gallery and business practice. As with all effective forms of Street Art and Public Art, this project stimulates the appreciation of a space, challenging the viewer to consider the space anew by drawing upon their knowledge and appreciation of art.

This project is to be continued into the future with regular artwork rotations, and the intention of adding new CBD venues to expand its reach. As a program featuring as part of the Street Art Activation Framework, the SHIFT: elevator art project will enjoy greater marketing and exposure while providing another legal, paid avenue for selected street artists to display their work.

All artworks will:

• Be suitable for display in a public environment

• Conform to all building and elevator safety codes in terms of movement and function

• Be dynamic and original

• Be created by local artists, commissioned by Gallery Services

• Be original artworks specifically commissioned for this project

• Be ephemeral and fully reversible

• Be attached with no permanent fixing or damage to the elevator’s surface

By participating in the project, CBD venues will:

• Beautify their existing elevator space at no cost for the public and building staff

• Be among an exclusive list of venues to be listed as a destination for an art tour that takes in the dynamic and inspiring artworks

• Provide valuable opportunities and income for local artists

• Contribute to the redevelopment and revitalisation of Townsville’s CBD into a dynamic cultural hub

Raul Posse SHIFT project, backlit roof photographs at Townsville Civic Theatre.

the savannah landscape.

Tommy Pau is a multi-skilled Townsville-based artist of Indigenous heritage. He works in sculpture, carving, print, painting, installation art, and digital multimedia. His art re-evaluates the impact of the past on our present lives. His work is concerned with developing a visual concept and language to express and engage with conflicting and subsumed histories and present day application of the past without desecrating what is sacred.

Tommy Pau Savannah Landscape 2014, Walker Street SHIFT: elevator art project artwork. This is an inspired landscape from Cape York. Travelling from the tip of Cape York to Weipa, to Cairns, the landscape changes dramatically from coastal beach, creek, rivers, forest, savannah, low shrubs and sandy dunes. The artwork is of plants along

xi. LUXLUMIN: lighting up the city

This inaugural event, coordinated by La Luna Youth Arts, was held in the Townsville CBD, with large-scale works displayed on 11 sites and partner venue facades. LUXLUMIN also coincided with the display of the new media exhibition Screengrab, which was developed collaboratively by James Cook University and Gallery Services, and on display at both eMerge Gallery and Pinnacles Gallery.

Displayed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 September from 7-10pm, the event included a launch celebration in Townsville Bulletin Square, workshops, tours, and access to participating artists at their respective works. Large audiences enjoyed exploring the CBD to discover and interact with the works, with anecdotal evidence from numerous sources impressed with the numbers of families engaging with the exhibition. As a sample, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s display of Yandell Walton’s interactive work Absent Presence captivated 850 guests on the Friday evening, and a further 780 on the Saturday.

Following the success of this year’s inaugural event, La Luna Youth Arts intends to present LUXLUMIN on a biennial basis.

Analysis of visitor feedback and participation, along with national trends, has also informed La Luna Youth Arts’ future development of the event:

• No unifying theme will be introduced, reflective of the curatorial approach of some of the best projection events around the nation

• Work by Blake Hudson and Paul Baron in Palmer Street proved to be the most popular, with its combination of scale, digital mapping, interactive components and sound arresting viewers. More works of this nature will be included in future

• Community Capacity Building will be an increased focus with more workshops for local artists to improve their skills

• Local artists will make up the majority of participants in the project, with the organisation’s belief in developing the community and building resilience so that Townsville projects nurture and showcase Townsville artists

A number of factors point to the fact that the continued and increased support of LUXLUMIN: lighting up the city is desirable. As a key Activation Program, this event will continue to:

• Develop local skills

• Provide a regular event to attract audiences from inside and outside of the region

• Draw on the skills of, and provide avenues for participation for, James Cook University’s many New Media Art students

• Ensure Townsville’s arts scene remains at the forefront of emerging technological trends

• See the development of numerous works with no lasting impact on the built or natural environment on which they are displayed

Blake Hudson and Paul Barron Tissue Connective 2014, Digital Mapping. On display at the Queensland Teachers Union Building, 15 Palmer Street

xii. Strand Ephemera

Strand Ephemera began in 2001 and then became a biennial exhibition from that time. The event has grown over the years to be loved not only locally, but to be an outdoor sculpture exhibition of state and national significance.

The impetus for Strand Ephemera was twofold. Firstly, the exhibition was to provide Townsville City Council, developers, and the broader Townsville public with possibilities in the public art arena.

Permanent public art pieces in Townsville up to this point had not engendered broad public support. A temporary exhibition was seen to have greater potential to present ideas and concepts for public feedback.

The second impetus was to provide opportunities for regionally-based artists. The Queensland Government had announced a 2% for public art program creating massive funding opportunities, with regionally-based artists expressing interest in improving their competitiveness.

Strand Ephemera provided the opportunity for these artists to hone their skills and compare and contrast their work within a national context at a local venue. The focus on works being ‘ephemeral’ encouraged artists to use inexpensive materials, for a ‘short-lived’ exhibition of around 10 days.

The links between Strand Ephemera and the activation of Street Art in Townsville are clear. The exhibition includes works in all mediums, many of which - such as temporary sculpture, projection, and urban art interventions - are among the types of regular activity this Framework would seek to encourage.

Works such as Geoff Overheu’s Gates of Reason, which built bronze reliefs into standard traffic control barriers, also evidence the ways in which artists could integrate work within the wider built environment.

Further, the success of the exhibition (having attracted in excess of 60,000 visitors in 2013) confirms the community’s interest in new and temporary artwork in the public realm, and the potential for cultural tourism when working in this field.

Gallery Services intends to expand the links between Strand Ephemera and the activation of Street Art in 2015 through:

• The inclusion of several, large-scale sand sculptures by leading artists in this field

• The inclusion of approximately four 3-dimensional chalk art works on the pathways by leading artists in this field

• Exploration of possible programs and workshops to encourage participation, such as engaging with the sand and chalk artists, or utilising The Youth Network NQ’s mobile graffiti wall

Geoff Overheu Gates of Reason [detail] 2013, bronze relief inset into traffic barriers, displayed as part of Strand Ephemera 2013.

xiii. Annual National Street Art Prize

A significant opportunity exists for Townsville to confirm itself as a regional Australian leader in the field of Street Art through the development of an Annual National Street Art Prize

It is reasonably assumed that if realised, this Activation Program above any other would capture the imagination of artists and Street Art enthusiasts around the country and result in considerable levels of cultural tourism.

However, it is also generally accepted that this initiative could not be delivered until a healthy and supported Street Art culture has been activated within the city, and broad community acceptance of Street Art achieved.

Significant logisitical investigation and potential investment would also be required to realise this vision. As such, an Annual National Street Art Prize would be the final phase of activation set out in this Framework, likely in the third year following the document’s endorsement.

The general concept would entail:

• Negotiation with CBD building owners to secure permission for new works to be created simultaneously on 10-15 large, highly visible spaces

• Marketing to local and national (and potentially international) Street Artists to encourage submissions. The 10-15 finalists would be determined following a review of submitted concept designs, along with evidence of previous work and confirmation of availability. Representation of local street artists would need to be ensured in order for the professional development benefits of the project to be realised

• L ogistical confirmation, ensuring materials, plant, traffic management, travel and accommodation, insurances and permits/tickets are all considered

• Payment of artist fee to all finalists in two stages; upon selection, and after delivery of the work

• 5 day period in which all finalists create their respective works

• Workshops, talks, music performances and community engagement activities held during the week during which works are being created, and the weekend immediately following

• External judge who is widely respected in the Street Art field to view and assess the finalists’ works, and select a winner

• Announcement of major prize winner at an outdoor launch celebration

• Weekend programming of tours to complement the previously mentioned programs

• All finalists’ works remain in place for a period of a year, until the exhibition is held the following year. Earlier removal or extensions to this display would be assessed on a case-by-case basis

Currently, to the best knowledge of the members of the Street Art Activation Working Group, no such prize exhibition exists. Many regions have very successfully held Street Art festivals, engaging leading artists from around the country to work in their city at the same time, though without the prestige of a competitive outcome. Still, these successes bode well for an Annual National Street Art Prize concept.

Other Australian projects, such as the Stencil Art Prize, have proven successful, but are held within the Gallery environment, not in the urban environment where a genuine connection to the subculture would be established.

The newly established Footscray Street Art Prize is held in the urban environment, however does not assemble leading artists to work at the same time. Rather, a small 1.5 x 1.5m wall space is allocated to all applicants and works are judged over a long expanse of time via photographic reproductions. This project has merits, but would not create an atmosphere of activity or deliver truly captivating works of scale as would be desired.

Art prizes - while often polarising the opinions of the wider public upon the announcement of a winner - are an established and recognised exhibition model within Australian society.

By their nature, they encourage the development of new work, often result in a thematically or stylistically coherent display, and tend to attract higher rates of visitation and – particularly – media exposure.

Gallery Services has extensive experience in organising national art prizes and, if provided the necessary budget and logistical support of various sections of Townsville City Council, would be well positioned to undertake this initiative.

This Activation Program’s success would see new, large, iconic works punctuate the CBD skyline on a revolving annual basis; build the profile and contact networks of the region’s own street artists; positively engage the community; create tourism opportunities; and provide a high profile promotional vehicle for the region in the national market.

See No Evil - Europe’s largest Street Festival, held in Bristol, London in 2012, attracted worldwide media and huge visitation of 50,000 visitors in one weekend

7. ACTIVATION ENABLERS

i. Overview

Street Art is, in its purest form, an organic artform. Works are devised and created by artists of their own accord, independent of institutional directives or requests.

For this reason, one of the key components of a successful Street Art Activation Framework will be the development of Activation Enablers Enablers will include Toolkits for Artists which outline what will and won’t be accepted as artwork in Townsville’s public spaces (i.e. no tagging); information on legal considerations; materials to help artists negotiate the securement of walls and locations to showcase their work with private/corporate building owners; and information about required insurances and health and safety considerations.

Such Toolkits have been successfully developed and made available in a variety of mediums in Melbourne, and this has significantly contributed to the activity in the city’s ‘laneway’ Street Art culture in which artists are frequently creating new work.

Evidence of the need for such Toolkits in Townsville can be seen in the Legal Street Art in the Ville zine, a project developed by The Arts Inc. in 2013, a joint initiative of Townsville City Council, The Youth Network NQ, and the Queensland Government.

This document will be expanded upon and is an important precursor to the Toolkits that will be developed, having already included artwork by local Street

Artists, information about Best Practices in Legal Street Art, warnings about criminal ramifications from vandalism, example contracts, and a personal account from a respected local street artist who did experience legal troubles.

Equally as important will be creating Toolkits for Building Owners (whether these be private individuals, businesses or developers) to empower those interested in Street Art to be able to undertake the commissioning of an artist in-line with best practice.

The delivery of Activation Enablers will also seek to streamline Townsville City Council approval processes for artists and those commissioning work, an area being actioned through Street Art’s clear links with Gallery Services’ updated Art In Public Spaces Policy.

In terms of phasing of the delivery of Activation Enablers, it is imperative that all Toolkits for Artists and Building Owners are developed and made readily available as soon as practicable following endorsement of this Framework. This will greatly assist in building momentum for Street Art’s activation, and ensure interested participants are equipped with all the information they require.

ii. Toolkits for Artists

It is recommended that in the considered activation of Street Art in Townsville, the Townsville City Council and collaborating organisations don’t take on the sole responsibility for activity in this field, but rather provide the tools for artists to take charge for themselves. In this, the information and communications directed at artists in cities such as Melbourne and Adelaide, along with materials such as the Legal Street Art in the ‘Ville zine developed by The Youth Network NQ with assistance from Townsville City Council and the Queensland Government, are to be utilised as reference points and expanded upon.

Ultimately, a comprehensive toolkit/guide for Townsville’s street artists to create their own legal, endorsed Street Art projects should be developed and made readily available through:

• Townsville City Council’s website and social media spaces

• Websites of collaborating organisations such as The Youth Network NQ, Townsville Youth Justice, and other key service providers for youth such as headspace

• Physical copies printed and made available at locations where the target audiences frequent, such as art galleries, libraries, PCYCs, schools, businesses such as Cre8ive Sk8, Council Chambers, Information Centres, etc.

The toolkits will need to include:

• Information about reporting graffiti and the GraffitiSTOP program, hotlines, etc.

• Personal accounts about the importance of acting within the law from respected local and national artists

• Information about the impact of graffiti and the costs of its removal - both to the city, and to the individuals affected

• Checklist for gaining approval to paint/ create work in a location from Townsville City Council, a business or private individual

• A draft letter of introduction

• A draft contract

• Information about necessary insurances, etc. and where these can be sourced

• Links to where artists could gain further professional practice or training in their creative field, as well as for topics such as gaining an Elevated Work Platform (EWP) license

• V isual examples of legal projects in Townsville

• Contact details for Townsville City Council staff if support or advice is required

iii. Toolkits for Building Owners

As with the encouragement and informing of Townsville’s local street artists, enabling building owners - be they private individuals, businesses or developers - to undertake the commissioning of street artists will also increase the potential for high quality Street Art activity in Townsville.

Further, by informing building owners of the best practice for commissioning street artists, there will be the potential for paid employment for artists and therefore the strengthening of the visual arts sector in Townsville through investment. It is important that these toolkits do impress on people the importance of valuing an artist’s time and ability as they would any other qualified professional in their field, and to suggest payment in-line with recognised national standards.

The developed toolkit for building owners should be distributed through:

• Townsville City Council’s website and social media spaces

• Websites of collaborating organisations such as The Youth Network NQ, Townsville Youth Justice, and other key service providers

• Townsville Enterprise

• Established networks such as CBD Traders, CBD Taskforce, and the Townsville Business Development Centre

• Physical copies printed and made available at locations such as art galleries, libraries, Council Chambers, Information Centres, etc.

The toolkits will to a degree be based on information made available to building owners by the Melbourne City Council, and will need to include:

• Information about reporting graffiti and the GraffitiSTOP program, hotlines, etc.

• Data and information related to the use of artworks as a graffiti reduction strategy

• Information about the impact of graffiti and the costs of its removal - both to the city, and to the individuals affected

• Heritage approval and planning permit information, for relevant buildings

• Checklist for how to have the building listed as a Street Art location, if creative control is not desired

• Information about necessary insurances, etc. and where these can be sourced

• Example contracts, commission methodologies (i.e. if directly commissioning, or seeking designs from numerous local/national artists), along with suggested fee structures and timelines

• V isual examples of legal projects in Townsville

• Contact details for Townsville City Council staff if support or advice is required

iv. Townsville City Council Building Approval Process Review

The Street Art Activation Working Group has determined that, with respect to the approval of works of Street Art on buildings or infrastructure owned by the Townsville City Council, the current approval process is neither clear to internal staff or artists in the community.

The approval process and the business units needing to be involved in this decision process will need to be reviewed as part of the Art In Public Spaces Policy and its integration with the Planning Scheme.

It is imperative that this review process is clarified and streamlined for two significant reasons:

• To ensure that when street artists do propose a project or site, the response time is fast and the reasons given for or against the project rational. This will build faith in the Street Art community in the process and help ensure artists become neither disenfranchised or frustrated, which could lead to little activity or illegal alternatives

• To be able to make this information readily available to the public and street artists, particularly through inclusion in the intended toolkits, in order to encourage increased legal activity. That is, making it easy to take the legal option

v. Commissioning Process

Gallery Services is the responsible section of Townsville City Council for controlling the commissioning and acquisition of Public Art, including Street Art, into the City of Townsville Art in Public Spaces Collection

On occassion, sections of Townsville City Council other than Gallery Services or external parties may have funds dedicated to the commissioning of a Public Artwork that is intended to be acquired and maintained by Townsville City Council as part of the City of Townsville Art in Public Spaces Collection In such circumstances, the relevant Council section or external party must liaise with Gallery Services to ensure the commission of artwork adheres to procedural processes.

This process includes the development of a report to be tabled at an Art Acquisition Working Group meeting, convened by Gallery Services and involving respected members of the public. This group is charged with assessing and ultimately approving or rejecting all proposed acquisitions before being presented to the Community and Cultural Committee and full Council.

The Art Acquisition Policy and associated Art In Public Spaces procedures are currently under review, and the updated documents will include greater detail on the correct commissioning process for Public Art.

Where a work of Street Art is not commissioned by Townsville City Council, nor proposed to be acquired or maintained by Townsville City Council subsequent to its creation, Gallery Services can play an advisory role. This may entail assisting with scoping of sites, developing and distributing Expression of Interest documents, selection of works, and advice as to contractual arrangements, timelines, and payment structures.

8. MAINTENANCE AND RENEWAL STRATEGY

The ephemeral and dynamic nature of Street Art when delivered in its truest form needs to be balanced against a community affection for works and expectation for their maintenance.

In short, renewal will be as important as maintenance in ensuring the successful activation of Street Art in Townsville.

Renewal, and the clear conveying to the public that Street Art is not intended to last for many years, will be seeded through the continued delivery of projects with fixed limited life spans. Such projects include Strand Ephemera and LUXLUMIN, and will in 2015 include the Animating Spaces projects. These projects will form a precursor to the delivery of more temporary Urban Art Interventions.

The activation of Legal Free Walls will also be pivotal in the frequent renewal of works in the public space by providing sites at which artists can create new work of their own volition.

Townsville City Council will play an important role in the consistent renewal of Legal Free Walls. Many legal walls around the world are repainted periodically. This helps ensure there is a clean slate for artists to create sizeable new works and to see that the site is not overrun by ‘tagging’.

Maintenance of sites, such as the amenities attached to Legal Free Wall sites, will need to occur in keeping with existing procedures for the Council upkeep of public spaces and infrastructure. The maintenance of works however will vary dependant on the project.

Currently, commissioned street artists are contractually obliged to guarantee their work for a period of 12 months - a period that will allow many in the community to enjoy the works, but not build an expectation of all works remaining permanently. It is anticipated however that some works, particularly those currently being delivered in an absence of high volumes of work in the public realm and which have obviously generated public affection, will remain for longer periods. Such works include Kennie Deaner’s mural in Denham Lane, and Fintan Magee’s work The Tower in City Lane.

Maintenance of works commissioned by Townsville City Council will result from visual assessments conducted by Townsville City Council’s Public Art Officer, with such works forming a temporary part of the City of Townsville Art In Public Spaces Collection

The responsibility of maintenance of works that do not form a temporary part of the City of Townsville Art In Public Spaces Collection will fall to the Commissioner/Property and Artwork owner. However Gallery Services, Townsville City Council will provide advice and assistance if remedial conservation is required due to deterioration or vandalism. This is not anticipated. Such advice would be provided on request to any third party who has become active in commissioning significant works.

Moving forward, the 12 month lifespan of works is likely to be more rigidly adhered to, particularly in the third year following the endorsement of this Framework when it is projected to launch the inaugural National Street Art Prize.

All works created as part of the National Street Art Prize would remain for a period of 12 months, before the following year’s event sees the creation of a new set of works.

It is proposed that the removal of works prior to or following this 12 month period would be discouraged but assessed on a case-by-case basis.

One case that may warrant the extension to this lifespan is if it is felt that the winning work should be preserved for an extended periodhowever keeping the work permanently would still be discouraged as over time the occupation of sites with permanent works would limit the city’s ability to run the project.

The changeover of these significant works annually will not only keep down maintenance costs related to the natural deterioration of works in the public realm, but also reinforce the notion of Street Art as a vibrant, temporary artform, and increase the dynamism of the city’s visual landscape.

Townsville City Council employees install Aaron Ashley’s SHIFT: elevator art project artwork at Federation Place.

9. COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The core message that will underpin Townsville’s Street Art activation is in-line with the one that has been commonly used in locations that have successfully undertaken this work, such as Melbourne. That message is the clear distinction between Street Art - and the many activities therein which will be endorsed, supported, and viewed as legal - and vandalism, primarily ‘tagging’.

This is in keeping with widespread community opinion, and will help to illustrate to residents that a blind eye is not being turned to graffiti, rather that positive measures are being put in place to beautify and activate our city while actively engaging those members of the community who are most likely to be/become offenders.

The second key component of the Communication Strategy for this activity relates to the considered staging of activations, and the need to positively shift some public perception gradually.

As was evidenced in Adelaide, the commissioning of a number of large, high profile Street Art murals and installations helped to build public affection, and subtly shift negative connotations of graffiti to a more positive valuing as public art with high artistic merit/value. This activity should certainly occur prior to more high-risk activations, particularly the establishment of Legal Free Walls.

While it is anticipated these will become positive sites for the patrons and community, there are risks attached which could prompt overstated public reactions if some positive shifting of perceptions has not already occurred.

All communications should also underline some of the broader objectives of this undertaking, so that members of the community - even if they disagree - can see the full rationale. Community feedback will also be important in this regard, and this data gathering will be conducted using recognised surveying methods. It is proposed the Street Art community and the general public be surveyed in alternating years.

The importance of media, both local and national, in conveying to the public the merits of Street Art in Townsville cannot be understated.

National recognition and exposure will foster positive community sentiment about the activities. Moreover, it will help with the objectives related to Cultural Tourism and CBD Activation, with associated economic benefits strengthening the case for Street Art.

As has been seen through some recent examples, the local media are extremely interested in Street Art and, generally, positive in their reporting of it. Articles in The Sun Newspaper, the Townsville Bulletin, and stories on local television news programs have all positively reflected on recent workshops and commissions.

However, the recent failed ‘Wall of Fame’ project and the associated media response also underlines the importance of careful project planning, community consultation/awareness, and the need to not attach Street Art activities to any issues which may become politicised.

In maintaining a positive media profile for this program, it may be prudent to seek a local Media Sponsor or Partner.

Finally, assuming the endorsement of this Framework, some high level Council engagement with other civic representatives is required to clearly outline the benefits so that potentially damaging comment isn’t made in the public forum.

As an example, the following comment was made on the back of very little information about the intent of the city’s proposed Street Art activation by Herbert MP Ewen Jones, who said, “Graffiti starts with a lack of respect for other people. I have a mate with a shop in Kirwan who just spent $2400 on paint to cover graffiti and already they are back...Just because one person may do a beautiful mural, what’s to say some guy won’t come up and put his tag over it?”

This fear-based, conservative approach to the city’s cultural progression will not allow the successful activation of Street Art, and therefore the city would risk not benefitting from the associated Cultural, Economic, Recreational, Social, and Urban Planning outcomes.

10. LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS

The planning, development and delivery of Activation Sites, Activation Programs, and Activation Enablers will need to factor in a number of relevant Local, State and Federal laws, particularly with respect to criminal graffiti and copyright.

Further, through the Street Art Activation Working Group and continued engagement following the endorsement of this Framework, the Queensland Police operating in Townsville will need to be kept informed of all activations. This will help members of the Police Force appropriately respond to graffiti related issues, and distinguish them from endorsed or approved Street Art activity.

While the complex and ever-changing nature of the law means that any endorsed activations will need to remain adaptable, following is an overview of some of the current State laws pertaining to these matters.

It is important to note that an individual artist must ensure that they comply with the requirements of the law with respect to their art.

Graffiti and possession offences

Sitting under the Summary Offences Act 2005 (Qld) - the major piece of legislation for street offences - it is currently an offence for a person to possess:

• a graffiti instrument that is reasonably suspected of having been used for graffiti, is being used for graffiti or reasonably suspected of being about to be used for graffiti.

• graffiti instruments, as defined in schedule 2 of the Act, include a container from which substance may be forced (i.e. spray paint can), or an etching instrument. The word ‘include’ in the definition means that the list is not exhaustive of the things that can constitute a graffiti instrument. For example, video and digital cameras, and mobile phones, could potentially constitute graffiti instruments.

Police Powers and Responsibility Act

The PPRA (s634(2)(d)) additionally ensures officers who suspect a person has committed an offence under the Summary Offences Act must, if reasonably practicable, give the person a reasonable opportunity to explain why the person was in possession of the relevant instrument or implement. Police may charge an individual with the offence if no explanation or an unreasonable explanation is given.

Wilful damage

Section 469 of the Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld) (Criminal Code Act) provides that it is an offence to willfully and unlawfully destroy and damage any property (e.g. spraying or etching). Offenders are liable to imprisonment for five years. Police may elect the more serious offence of wilful damage where an offender has previously been charged on a number of occasions with the lesser graffiti offence.

Copyright and moral rights

Copyright law protects the expression of ideas or information provided they are original and reduced into what is known as material form. As copyright is personal property, copyright can be sold (assigned) or licensed to a third party. In Australia, the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) (Copyright Act) sets out the rights and obligations of copyright owners and copyright users. The aim of this legislation is to balance the rights of creators with the need of the public to access and use copyright works.

While Artistic works (encompassing paintings, sculptures, engravings, drawings, buildings and models of buildings, photographs, diagrams, maps, etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, charts and plans, prints, casts, models, design drawings, and industrial photographs) are protected by copyright, it is important to note for the purpose of the activation of Street Art that the following exceptions to copyright infringement exist:

• the inc lusion in a film or broadcast, sculptures and works of artistic craftsmanship that are permanently in a public space

• painting, drawing, engraving or photographing sculptures and works of artistic craftsmanship situated permanently in public places

• incidental filming or broadcasting of artistic works

Local Laws

Where matters fall within Townsville’s Local Law jurisdiction, Townsville’s Local Laws may apply. An example may be that an occassion - particularly due to stylistic similarities with respect to text-based works, poster or sticker art - a fine line and possible confusion between art and advertising exists. This may invite scrutiny through the Subordinate Local Law No. 1.4 (Installation of Advertising Devices) 2011, however if nothing is explicitly being advertised for commercial purposes the law should not apply.

Townsville Planning Scheme and the various building acts may also apply to elements of the city’s Street Art activation, an area that will be navigated through the integration of the Art In Public Spaces policy developed by Gallery Services with the Planning Scheme in 2015.

11. GRAFFITI MANAGEMENT

The activation of Street Art in Townsville aligns with the Townsville City Council’s Graffiti Management Policy, rather than contradicts it, and will aid the city’s graffiti reduction objectives in three significant ways:

Communication

Through the strategies outlined in this Framework, the activation of Street Art will include clear communication tools for artists and the community to:

• Understand the risk personally, and impact on the city and others, of undertaking illegal graffiti activity

• Equip artists with the necessary knowledge and resources to seek legal alternatives

• Give greater community profile to the available graffiti reporting mechanisms, i.e. GraffitiSTOP hotline, etc.

• Promote greater interaction between street artists and the general public, particularly through the Legal Free Walls

• Make a c lear distinction between what kind of Street Art activity is endorsed, and what will not be tolerated. The following information is the primary communication for Street Art in Melbourne, and could be used as a model in Townsville:

Street art

The City of Melbourne has conducted research and community consultation which revealed that most people do not like graffiti ‘tagging’ (person writing their graffiti name or ‘tag’ on a wall with marker or paint). However, many people appreciate ‘street art’ such as larger, more artistic pieces, or murals placed in appropriate locations with the required permission.

In response, the City of Melbourne’s Graffiti Management Plan distinguishes between:

• the need to remove unwanted graffiti applied without permission, and

• street art placed on walls and infrastructure with the blessing of property owners.

The City of Melbourne recognises the importance of street art in contributing to a vibrant urban culture. Melbourne’s street art has become internationally renowned and has become an attraction for local and overseas visitors experiencing Melbourne’s creative ambience. View our Street art image gallery.

Alternative Legal Activity and Diversionary Programs

• Activation of Legal Free Walls to encourage painting at the point of inspiration for street artists and the city’s youth in supported, legal, public locations

• Toolkits for artists to self-generate legal activity

• Create aspiration in local artists to create more meaningful work, with the National Street Art Prize being the main program that could achieve this outcome

• Ensure alternative activity is provided in areas identified as being high volume locations for illegal graffiti

• Develop projects and sites such as the Children’s Art House and Mobile Canvas to channel creative energies of local youth

• Strengthen linkages of programs and communications between key stakeholders, such as the Townsville City Council, The Youth Network NQ, various youth service providers, Townsville Youth Justice, and the Queensland Police Service

Professional Development and Career Pathways

• Increase skills development for local street artists, youth, and youth-at-risk, to help steer the community away from basic tagging and towards the creation of more sophisticated and broadly appreciated work. This will be achieved through the efforts of all stakeholders, and the requirement of professional development components of major commissions

• Commission local street artists, generating meaningful paid employment

• Launch the National Street Art Prize, incorporating an artist fee structure for selected artists - of which a percentage will be local - and a major prize

• Create a 12 month Study and Job Placement program, akin to a traineeship. Establish links to a recognised TAFE qualification, and give broad experience working in sign writing, digital/graphic design, and graffiti removal so that the job has a broad range of experience and learning. Offer the position annually to a youth-at-risk/young graffiti offender who has been identified through the Townsville Youth Justice as an outstanding participant in Street Art programs seeking to re-engage with the community. It’s hoped this would illustrate to some of the young offenders that there are alternative career pathways and trades

12. MEASURES OF SUCCESS AND REVIEW PROCESS

i. Overview

Consistent observation and an understanding of the importance of the program’s flexibility - as opposed to reactive and premature cessation of activity - are the principles that will help Townsville’s Street Art program become the envy of regional Australia.

The formal Measures of Success and the periodic Review Process (beyond this continual observation) will be intrinsically linked to the stated Objectives, key Milestones in the suggested Activation Sites, Activation Programs, and Activation Enablers (provided in the following Section iii. Key Deliverables), and the response of both the Street Art community and community at large.

It is also important to note that while the reduction of illegal graffiti is a desired and potential outcome stemming from the activation of Street Art, it can’t be the sole or primary factor by which the success of the program is measured, particularly in the short term when the program may not have been in place for long enough to be an effective agent of change.

ii. Measures of Success for Periodic Reviews

2015/16

• Consistent observation and support to activations

• Review AUSGR reports for the 12 month period of activation, and draw comparisons to the preceding 12 months

• End of year surveying of Street Art community on location at various activations and through recognised points, such as Cre8ive Sk8, The Youth Network NQ, headspace, etc.

• Street Art’s presence in city place making and master planning initiatives

• Development and delivery of toolkits for artists

• Development and delivery of toolkits for building owners

• Finalise integration of Art In Public Spaces policy with the Planning Scheme, and in doing so review and streamline the approval process for artists wishing to create new work on Council buildings/infrastructure

• Deliver Strand Ephemera and incorporate Urban Art Interventions, clearly defining these works for the public

• Deliver two new rotations of SHIFT: elevator art project to venues

• Deliver Animating Spaces projects

• Deliver range of professional development projects, engaging a broad cross section of the community

• Complete research of Children’s Art House concept

• Complete research of Mobile Canvas

• Deliver two significant commissions

• Complete research of ideal locations for Urban Art Interventions not attached to projects such as Strand Ephemera

• Complete detailed mapping of Priority Activation Zones

• Activate CBD Legal Free Wall

• Deliver two significant commissioned works

• Seek quarterly feedback from Street Art Activation Working Group members

• Seek feedback through various CBD interest groups of effectiveness of initiatives in creating interest in the CBD as a destination

• Secure consistent and positive media coverage for Street Art activities, both locally and nationally

2016/17

• Consistent observation and support to activations

• Review AUSGR reports for the 12 month period of activation, and draw comparisons to the preceding 12 months

• End of year surveying of general community through recognised means, with a focus in areas near to activations

• Deliver two new rotations of SHIFT: elevator art project to venues

• Activate permanent result from Animating Spaces project

• Launch Children’s Art House

• Launch Mobile Canvas

• Deliver range of professional development projects, engaging a broad cross section of the community

• Deliver two significant commissions

• Complete research into Annual National Street Art Prize

• Complete research into 12 month Job Placement and Study initiative for youth-atrisk

• Complete recommendations from detailed mapping of Priority Activation Zones

• Complete research and preliminary work for apps and Street Art trails

• Deliver a significant Urban Art Intervention, and materials to encourage local artist proposals

• Seek targeted feedback from artists using and community members nearby to CBD Legal Free Wall

• Activate Kirwan/Riverway, and Kelso Legal Free Walls

• Seek quarterly feedback from Street Art Activation Working Group members

• Seek feedback through various CBD interest groups of effectiveness of initiatives in creating interest in the CBD as a destination

• Secure consistent and positive media coverage for Street Art activities, both locally and nationally

2017/18

• Deliver inaugural National Street Art Prize

• Consistent observation and support to activations

• Review AUSGR reports for the 12 month period of activation, and draw comparisons to the preceding 12 months

• End of year surveying of Street Art community on location at various activations and through recognised points, such as Cre8ive Sk8, The Youth Network NQ, headspace, etc.

• Seek quarterly feedback from Street Art Activation Working Group members

• Secure consistent and positive media coverage for Street Art activities, both locally and nationally. National promotion of inaugural National Street Art Prize particularly important

• Gather data to assess out of town visitation stemming from inaugural National Street Art Prize

• Deliver apps/Street Art trails for the public

• Deliver Strand Ephemera and incorporate Urban Art Interventions, clearly defining these works for the public

• Deliver two new rotations of SHIFT: elevator art project to venues

• Deliver range of professional development projects, engaging a broad cross section of the community

• Deliver two significant commissioned works

• Conduct thorough assessment of issues related to Legal Free Walls and activate the final three

• Launch traineeship

MEASURES OF SUCCESS AND REVIEW PROCESS

iii. Key Deliverables h

Year

2015/16

Activity Details, Requirements and

Research - Mapping of Identified Activation Zones (Activation Site)

Research - Art In Public Spaces Collection (Activation Program)

Delivery - Commissions (Activation Program)

Delivery and Research - Urban Art Interventions (Activation Program)

Delivery - Legal Free Walls (Activation Program)

Delivery - Professional Development Projects and Workshops (Activation Program)

Research and DevelopmentChildren’s Art House (Activation Program)

Research and Development - Mobile Canvas (Activation Program)

Delivery - Animating Spaces (Activation Program)

Expand upon the Mapping of Identified Activation Zones developed potential specific sites for activation, particularly the placement

Gallery Services to continue working with various Townsville Art In Public Spaces policy, of which the Street Art Activation the Planning Scheme

Commission of two more artists to create significant artworks requirement for a professional development or community engagement opportunities between local artists and celebrated national/international of our own artists, and gaining profile for the city as an active

Delivery of Urban Art Interventions through the Animating Programs. Gallery Services to identify if a further, stand-alone year. Further scoping of sites, particularly the Ogden Street

Activation of the first Legal Free Wall in the Townsville CBD half of the first year of activation following solid research into requirements discussed earlier. This site will act as the trial Legal

Continued support and delivery of professional development organisations. Increased activity in this field through the requirement professional development/public engagement component such

Street Art Activation Working Group to conduct further research of a Children’s Art House in Townsville. Process to be driven Townsville City Council

Street Art Activation Working Group to conduct further research activating the Mobile Canvas project, and securing budget to Gallery Services, Townsville City Council

Delivery of Denham Street Underpass music/ephemeral artwork; to Sturt Street) multi-arts performance and visual arts project; projections and musical installation in August/September 2015. through Townsville City Council led by Community Development

Delivery - SHIFT: elevator art project (Activation Program)

Delivery - Strand Ephemera (Activation Program)

Delivery of Toolkits for Artists (Activation Enabler)

Delivery of Toolkits for Building Owners (Activation Enabler)

Continued delivery of new artworks in CBD-located public funding and administering project to employ local artists. Project cooperation of CBD-based businesses with elevators

Gallery Services to deliver biennial outdoor sculpture festival coinciding with the Australian Festival of Chamber Musice. throughout the 10 day event. Gallery Services will again partner promote ‘Fringe Events’

Toolkits for Artists to be developed, disseminated and marketed Framework

Toolkits for Building Owners to be developed, disseminated in this Framework

and Assumptions

developed for this Framework by identifying placement of Legal Free Walls

Partners

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Property Management

Estimate Funding Required

Nil

Townsville City Council departments to integrate the Activation Framework will be a key component, with

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Property Management, Planning and Development, Planning and Development Committee, Legal Services

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Street Art Community, Developers/ Businesses/Building Owners

Nil artworks in Townsville, and deliver upon the engagement component. Look to split the national/international artists, therefore building capacity active Street Art region

Animating Spaces and Strand Ephemera Activation stand-alone Intervention can be developed during the project to occur

CBD (Priority Activation Site 1) in the latter into the most appropriate location to meet the Legal Free Wall to inform future activity

development projects and workshops by all particiapting requirement of commissioned artists to deliver a such as a workshop or talk

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

Gallery Services, Property Management, Legal Services, Marketing and Communications, Media Outlets, Planning and Development, Planning and Development Committee

Community Services, Townsville Youth Justice, The Youth Network NQ, Townsville Street Art community, Gallery Services

$25,000

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified location and work

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified location

Funding already allocated in various organisations’ budgets

research into the feasibility of the establishment driven by The Youth Network NQ, assisted by

The Youth Network NQ, Community Services, Gallery Services, Property Management, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

Nil

Nil research into the feasibility and logistics of to launch this program. Process to be driven by Gallery Services, Townsville Water and Waste, Schools, Townsville Street Artists

artwork; Stokes Street (Ogden Street through project; and Hanran Park pedal power light 2015. Project driven by community, support Development

elevators. Gallery Services to continue Project assumes the continued support and

festival Strand Ephemera in July-August 2015, Musice. Installations and interventions to feature partner with external organisations to cross-

Community Services, Townsville Street Art Community, Townsville Residents, Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers, Local Traders/ Retailers, Not-for-profit Community Groups

Gallery Services, Developers/Businesses/ Building Owners, Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers

Gallery Services, Infrastructure Services, Artists and Artsworkers, Marketing and Communications, Property Management, Not-for-profit Community Groups

marketed according to discussion earlier in this Gallery Services, Property Management, Legal Services, Marketing and Communications, Media Outlets

disseminated and marketed according to discussion earlier Gallery Services, Property Management, Legal Services, Marketing and Communications, Media Outlets

$60,000 in funding provided through Artslink Queensland

$10,000 - existing Gallery Services budget line

$300,000, a large amount offset by grants and sponsorship

$2,500 for printing/ marketing

$2,500 for printing/ marketing

2016/17

Year Activity Details, Requirements and

Delivery - Mapping of Priority Activation Zones (Activation Site)

Research - Art In Public Spaces Collection (Activation Program)

Delivery - Commissions (Activation Program)

Delivery - Urban Art Interventions (Activation Program)

Delivery - Legal Free Walls (Activation Program)

Delivery - Professional Development Projects and Workshops (Activation Program)

Delivery - Children’s Art House (Activation Program)

Delivery - Mobile Canvas (Activation Program)

Delivery - Permanent outcome from Animating Spaces (Activation Program)

Informed by the outcomes of the first Legal Free Wall activation, to activate Legal Free Walls in the remaining five Priority Activation location trends using AUSGR system and adapt as necessary

Progress the development of apps and Art In Public Spaces concept development for a Townsville Street Art trail

Commission of two more artists to create significant artworks requirement for a professional development or community engagement opportunities between local artists and celebrated national/international of our own artists, and gaining profile for the city as an active

Undertake the support and realisation of a high profile Urban benefit from the activation in terms of future city vision. Use propose future Urban Art Interventions in identified locations proposals readily available

Review first year of activation in the CBD Legal Free Wall. there will be inevitable teething issues, seek to activate Legal Activation Site 2), and Kelso (Priority Activation Site 3)

Continued support and delivery of professional development organisations. Increased activity in this field through the requirement professional development/public engagement component such

Establishment and launch of Townsville’s Children’s Art House, Network NQ. This project assumes the project’s favourable findings research, including availability of a suitable building to occupy

Establishment and launch of the Mobile Canvas project, to Townsville City Council. This project assumes the project’s favourable feasibility research, including financial viability, the support community, and finalisation of an accepted model for the purposeful

Townsville City Council, particularly Community Development, Gallery Services, to work with Animating Spaces participants in the Denham Street Underpass site that assists with desired processes

Delivery - SHIFT: elevator art project (Activation Program)

Delivery - LUXLUMIN: lighting up the city (Activation Program)

Research - Annual National Street Art Prize (Activation Program)

Research - 12 month Study and Job Placement Program linked to Townsville Youth Justice (Activation Program)

Continued delivery of new artworks in CBD-located public funding and administering project to employ local artists. Project cooperation of CBD-based businesses with elevators

Increased support of La Luna Youth Arts in delivering the biennial timeframe is September, in keeping with inaugural year. This ongoing desire and capacity to deliver the festival

Development of agreed structure for the event, securement of buildings to host artworks to be led by Gallery Services, Townsville

Following feedback from various Street Art Activation Working a direct pathway to realistic employment would be advantageous offenders. Street Art Activation Working Group to research traineeship with Townsville City Council for a selected outstanding mural project. Traineeship to work with signwriters, graphic basis. Links to formal qualifications to be explored

and Assumptions Partners

Estimate Funding Required

activation, confirm recommendations for locations Activation Sites. Continue to monitor graffiti necessary

artworks in Townsville, and deliver upon the engagement component. Look to split the national/international artists, therefore building capacity active Street Art region

Urban Art Intervention at a location that would Use the opportunity to encourage artists to locations - make resources for artists to develop

Assuming its relative success, accepting that Legal Free Walls in Kirwan/Riverway (Priority

development projects and workshops by all particiapting requirement of commissioned artists to deliver a such as a workshop or talk

House, to be managed and run by The Youth findings in the previous year’s feasibility occupy and financial viability

be managed and run by Gallery Services, favourable findings in the previous year’s and anticipated participation of schools and purposeful and scheduled rotation of artworks

Development, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, and participants to successful realise a permanent outcome desired outcomes of current master planning

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Street Art Community, Developers/ Businesses/Building Owners

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

Gallery Services, Property Management, Legal Services, Marketing and Communications, Media Outlets, Planning and Development, Planning and Development Committee

Community Services, Townsville Youth Justice, The Youth Network NQ, Townsville Street Art community, Gallery Services

The Youth Network NQ, Community Services, Gallery Services, Property Management, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

Gallery Services, Townsville Water and Waste, Schools, Townsville Street Artists

Community Services, Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers, Not-for-profit Community Groups, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Property Management, Planning and Development, Planning and Development Committee

Nil

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Property Management, Townsville Street Art Community, Townsville Residents Nil trails for the public to follow, including Gallery Services

$25,000

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified location and work

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified locations

Funding already allocated in various organisations’ budgets

TBC - dependant on requirements identified in research phase

$14,800 - based on four trucks delivered twice a year

TBC - dependant on scope of resulatant community projects

elevators. Gallery Services to continue Project assumes the continued support and

Gallery Services, Developers/Businesses/ Building Owners, Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers

La Luna Youth Arts

$10,000 - existing Gallery Services budget line biennial projection festival. Anticipated This project assumes La Luna Youth Arts’

$12,000 TCC funding and

$10,000 Gallery venue contribution based on 2014 event

of funding/sponsorship and agreement of Townsville City Council

Working Group members, a program evidencing advantageous for re-engaging youth-at-risk and young the potential to develop an annual 12 month outstanding participant in a young offenders design, and graffiti removal on rotational

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Street Art Community, Developers/ Businesses/Building Owners

Nil

Townsville Youth Justice, Gallery Services, Property Management Nil

MEASURES OF SUCCESS AND REVIEW PROCESS

2017/18

Year Activity Details, Requirements and

Research - Mapping of Priority Activation Zones (Activation Site)

Delivery - Art In Public Spaces Collection (Activation Program)

Delivery - Commissions (Activation Program)

Conduct another assessment of Townsville graffiti activity and has been any impact from the various activations

Finalise and distribute a Townsville Street Art trail, following/to Prize but also encompassing existing works/sites in the city

Commission of two more artists to create significant artworks requirement for a professional development or community engagement opportunities between local artists and celebrated national/international of our own artists, and gaining profile for the city as an active outcome of the inaugural National Street Art Prize to determine beyond this third year of activation

Delivery - Urban Art Interventions (Activation Program)

Delivery - Legal Free Walls (Activation Program)

Assess and if merited approve/support local artists in the delivery locations

Review activation of first three Legal Free Walls. Assuming be inevitable teething issues, seek to activate Legal Free Walls Site 4), Aitkenvale/Cranbrook (Priority Activation Site 5), and (Priority Activation Site 6)

Delivery - Professional Development Projects and Workshops (Activation Program)

Continued support of and delivery of projects through the Children’s Network NQ

Continued support and delivery of professional development organisations. Increased activity in this field through the requirement a professional development/public engagement component period of activity and opportunities coinciding with the inaugural Delivery - Children’s Art House (Activation Program)

Delivery - Mobile Canvas (Activation Program)

Delivery - SHIFT: elevator art project (Activation Program)

Delivery - Strand Ephemera (Activation Program)

Delivery - Annual National Street Art Prize (Activation Program)

Delivery - 12 month Study and Job Placement Program linked to Townsville Youth Justice (Activation Program)

Continued engagement with schools and community to deliver project on a rotational basis

Continued delivery of new artworks in CBD-located public funding and administering project to employ local artists. Project cooperation of CBD-based businesses with elevators

Gallery Services to deliver biennial outdoor sculpture festival coinciding with the Australian Festival of Chamber Musice. throughout the 10 day event. Gallery Services will again partner promote ‘Fringe Events’

Delivery of major event, the inaugural Annual National Street large-scale works, preferably in the CBD and within walking of local, national, and potentially international street artists. community and ability to secure funding through the previous and programs to be delivered during the weekend of unveiling

Advertise, seek and appoint the first Street Art trainee, assuming a feasible model that would be of benefit to the selected youth, accommodated into the budget and operations of the participating

and Assumptions Partners

and location trends to seek clarification if there Gallery Services, Property Management Nil

following/to coincide with the National Street Art Gallery Services, Townsville Street Art community, Marketing and Communication

artworks in Townsville, and deliver upon the engagement component. Look to split the national/international artists, therefore building capacity active Street Art region. Assess the success and determine if Commissions would still be required

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Street Art Community, Developers/ Businesses/Building Owners

Estimate Funding Required

$5,000 for printing/ marketing

$25,000

delivery of Urban Art Interventions at identified Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit

their relative success, accepting that there will Walls in Heatley/Vincent (Priority Activation and Annandale/Hermit Park/Oonoonba

development projects and workshops by all particiapting requirement of commissioned artists to deliver such as a workshop or talk, and an intensified inaugural National Street Art Prize

Gallery Services, Property Management, Legal Services, Marketing and Communications, Media Outlets, Planning and Development, Planning and Development Committee

Community Services, Townsville Youth Justice, The Youth Network NQ, Townsville Street Art community, Gallery Services

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified location and work

TBC - dependant on requirements of identified locations

Funding already allocated in various organisations’ budgets

Children’s Art House, led by The Youth The Youth Network NQ, Community ServicesTBC - dependant on requirements identified in research phase

$14,800 - based on four trucks delivered twice a year elevators. Gallery Services to continue Project assumes the continued support and

deliver new works as part of the Mobile Canvas Gallery Services, Townsville Water and Waste, Schools, Townsville Street Artists

$10,000 - existing Gallery Services budget line festival Strand Ephemera in July-August 2017, Musice. Installations and interventions to feature partner with external organisations to cross-

Street Art Prize. Anticipated to feature 10-15 walking distance of most sites, by combination Assuming support of building owners and previous year’s research phase. Heightened activity unveiling the artworks

assuming the previous year’s research results in youth, the community at large, and able to be participating business units

Gallery Services, Developers/Businesses/ Building Owners, Townsville Region Artists and Artsworkers

Gallery Services, Infrastructure Services, Artists and Artsworkers, Marketing and Communications, Property Management, Not-for-profit Community Groups

Gallery Services, Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, Street Art Community, Developers/ Businesses/Building Owners

$300,000, a large amount offset by grants and sponsorship

$150,000

Townsville Youth Justice, Gallery Services, Property Management Lvl. 1 position, approx $40,000

13. ALIGNMENT

The Street Art Activation Framework aligns with the following Community, Council, Section and Sector objectives, plans and policies:

Leading, Creating, Connecting: Shaping a Place to be Proud of Community Plan Townsville >> 2011-2021

Theme 1: Strong, Connected Community A community that draws on the diversity, skills and expertise of residents to build a community that has pride in its culture and lifestyle.

Guiding Principle/s: Strengthen community cohesion - Becoming a supportive and interconnected community that works together to make people feel comfortable and safe within their street, neighbourhood and the wider community.

Value the richness of diversity - The diversity of cultures and community groups represented within Townsville are embraced so that all community members can become champions of social inclusion.

Develop a vibrant arts lifestyle - Embracing the richness and talent of the arts community.

Develop a sense of safety - An environment in which the community feels safe to live, work and play.

Provide active and passive sport and recreation opportunities - An environment where there is a choice of active and passive recreational activities that contribute to the health and wellbeing of our city.

Theme 4: Shaping Townsville

Our city will meet the diverse and changing infrastructure and service needs of the economy.

Guiding Principle/s: A vibrant, sustainable, connected urban form - Creating places that provide for a great lifestyle.

A lively, diverse and connected city centre - Townsville’s CBD will be recognised as Townsville’s heart, bustling with activity and creativity.

Effective and adequate public infrastructure - The effective design and timely provision of adequate infrastructure will allow a growing population to enjoy a great lifestyle.

Regan Tamanui aka Ha!Ha! Maori Chief 2013, aerosol on paper. Gift of the Artist 2013. City of Townsville Art Collection.

Townsville City Economic Development Plan >> 2013-2017

Item 3: Productive Precincts Development Strategy

Key Initiative/s:

1 - Renewed CBD master planning, investment, activation and promotion to develop the CBD as the hub of the second capital of Queensland and attract private development (including commercial, retail and residential investment attraction).

Item 4: Tourism Precincts Development Strategy

Key Initiative/s:

1 - Incorporate tourism opportunities and priorities into the CBD Master Plan with a focus on precinct linkages, pedestrian connectivity and visitor information facilities.

Townsville City Council: Corporate Plan >> 2014-2019

Vision:

Townsville, Capital of Northern Australia; the City with Opportunity and Great Lifestyle.

Mission:

We are Committed to Delivering Quality Services to Facilitate Sustainable Growth through Inspired Leadership, Community Engagement and Sound Financial Management.

Goal 1: Economic Sustainability

Outcome - A strong diverse economy which provides opportunities for business and investment with an integrated approach to long term planning where the city’s assets meet the community needs.

Strategies:

1.1 - Create economic opportunities for Townsville to drive community prosperity.

1.2 - Maximise opportunities through engagement and partnership with stakeholders to achieve a strong resilient economy.

1.4 - Promote and market Townsville as a vibrant destination for commerce, entertainment and lifestyle.

Goal 2: Environmental Sustainability Outcome - A sustainable future where our environment is valued through the protection and enhancement of our unique, natural and built environment with a commitment to reducing our environmental impact.

Strategies:

2.4 - Adopt urban design principles that create a distinct sense of place, enables and informs place creation, maximises efficiency, and enhances the built and natural environment.

Goal 3: Social Sustainability Outcome - A vibrant community that is accessible, safe, healthy, creative and knowledgeable, where we embrace diversity and our sense of community.

Strategies:

3.2 - Support the community’s access to and participation in a range of artistic, cultural and entertainment activities.

3.3 - Enhance wellbeing and safety in the community.

3.4 - Enhance a knowledgeable, inclusive and connected community that embraces growth and lifelong learning.

3.5 - Provide community infrastructure and services that support growth and meets community needs.

Regional Development Australia: Townsville and North West Qld >> Regional Roadmap 2013-2016

Direction 2: Strengthening and development of industry sectors

Overview:

The region has a diversified industry base, with strengths in mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. It is important that measures are taken that allow this continued diversity, uptake of innovative opportunities and further investment into the region is made.

Direction 3: Provision of infrastructure and services for enhancing liveability

Overview:

Attraction and retention of people within the region is a high priority. Factors such as access to communications, health, public transport, education and social services can influence the liveability and desire of people to stay or be attracted to live within the region. Coordinated human services delivery is needed to ensure equal opportunities and access for all residents.

Direction 4: Promotion of the region and its opportunities

Overview:

Attracting investment to take up opportunities offered is paramount to the future viability of the region. Opportunities exist to expand, diversify and value‐add to the region’s resources, by identifying competitive advantages and encouraging new economic opportunities.

Direction 5: Strengthening of partnerships and networks for progression of the region

Overview: By strengthening partnerships and networks within the region, outcomes of efficiency will be achieved, particularly in the areas of service delivery. Coordinated human services delivery is needed to ensure equal opportunities and access for all residents.

The RUN Collective’s street art mural in Denham Lane. Painted with the assistance of La Luna Youth Arts and Townsville City Council.

Visual Arts Strategy >> 2013-2016

Item 6: Art In Public Spaces

Overview:

The Art In Public Spaces theme provides a holistic platform through which Gallery Services can foster, develop and realise Townsville City Council’s commitment to public art and endorsement of permanent and temporary art projects within the community environment of the Townsville region.

The aim of Art In Public Spaces is to promote a socio-cultural development through the provision of a vibrant Townsville arts industry; considered and relevant frameworks that realise successful activation and integration of public art; and ensuring future development projects are intrinsically linked to a broader vision of the Townsville region through the establishment of partnerships and collaborations.

Item 8: Creative Communities

Overview:

The Creative Communities moniker provides a holistic platform upon which to develop, implement and monitor a series of programs targeting the development of arts and cultural

activity with individuals, groups, organisations and sub-cultures within and outside of the gallery environment. It is the aim of the Creative Communities program to undertake the activation of collaborative partnerships through identified opportunities that support, promote and enhance the cultural capacity, creative economy, cultural experience and engagement opportunities for artists, artsworkers, organisations, individuals and visitors of the Townsville region.

Item 9: Creative Spaces

Overview: The Creative Spaces moniker provides a holistic platform upon which to develop, implement and monitor a series of programs targeting the activation of spaces and environments outside of the gallery facility to conduct arts and cultural programs, activities and projects.

It is the aim of the Creative Spaces program to undertake the activation of collaborative partnerships through identified opportunities that support, promote and enhance the cultural capacity, creative economy, cultural experiences and engagement opportunities for artists, artsworkers, organisations, individuals and visitors to the Townsville region.

2014 - 2017 >> Community Development Strategy

Theme 1: Engagement, awareness, capacity building

Priority Outcome/s: An inclusive, involved and engaged community - Valuing and respecting the contributions of all community members, regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, cultural background or length of residency. A commitment to cooperate, collaborate and network to achieve positive outcomes for the community.

People in Townsville take pride and contribute to their community - Encouraging pride, recognition and times of celebration relating to the community’s diversity, heritage, culture and achievements.

Theme 2: Safe, resilient, resourceful

Priority Outcome/s: People in Townsville are skilled, resourceful and resilient - Building upon local assets, capacities, creativity, diversity and existing initiatives; and facilitating opportunities and experiences that enable all residents to see and experience their community as a place of potential opportunity.

Theme 3: Community Support and Planning

Priority Outcome/s: A sustainable, innovative and creative community - Better planning and research to understand community needs, respect for diverse cultures and arts, and support for innovative and sustainable initiatives.

Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA)

About the PDA:

The Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA) was declared at the request of Townsville City Council (Council) on 5 September 2014.

The Townsville City Waterfront PDA covers land located on both sides of Ross Creek which is directly adjacent to Townsville’s Central Business District (CBD). To the west, the area connects the Railway Station to the Breakwater. To the east, the area connects Reid Park to the new Quayside Townsville Terminal. Land holdings bounding the Ross Creek Waterfront consist of a multitude of uses including water leases, vacant land, public utilities, existing buildings and lots currently under construction. The PDA covers a total area of approximately 97.2 hectares. Planning and development assessment in the Townsville City Waterfront PDA will be managed by Council and the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) in partnership with the Port of Townsville.

Associated Policies

Inclusive Community Policy: Community Services, Townsville City Council

Art In Public Spaces Policy: Gallery Services, Townsville City Council

Public Graffiti Management Policy: Property Management, Townsville City Council

Art Acquisition Policy: Gallery Services, Townsville City Council

Vision:

This large scale, civic enhancement and place enabling project will leverage and accentuate the existing natural assets of the CBD waterfront and play a transformational role in achieving 30,000 people living and working in the wider CBD by 2030.

The Street Art Activation Framework is particularly linked to this PDA through the identification of a mutual priority area for activation. The Townsville City Waterfront PDA will achieve its vision through the following outcomes:

Priority Outcome/s:

1 - Be a vibrant mixed use place where people live, work and play in a high density environment which is active both during the day and night-time.

2 - Support the wider CBD functions, which is the highest order centre in Townsville which services a regional catchment.

4 - Variety of public open space areas at different scales and forms will be provided for event and gathering spaces.

Yandell Walton Absent Presence 2014, interactive projection. Featured in LUXLUMIN. Photo: Lauren Dunn

14. DEFINITIONS

Aerosol

A substance enclosed under pressure and released as a fine spray by means of a propellant gas.

Aerosol art is work created using aerosol paint, often referred to as spray paint.

Art Installation

An Art Installation, or Installation Art, describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.

Art Intervention

Art Intervention is an interaction with a previously existing artwork, audience, venue/ space or situation. It has the auspice of conceptual art and is commonly a form of performance art.

Art Intervention can also refer to art which enters a situation outside the art world in an attempt to change the existing conditions there. For example, intervention art may attempt to change economic or political situations, or may attempt to make people aware of a condition that they previously had no knowledge of.

Although Art Intervention by its very nature carries an implication of subversion, it is now accepted as a legitimate form of art and is often carried out with the endorsement of those in positions of authority over the artwork, audience or venue/space to be intervened in.

Commission

A Commission is an order or authorisation for the production of something.

Artworks, including Street Art works, may be commissioned by individuals, private or commercial entitites, and government bodies. This process involves a clear definition of the scope of the project, agreement on design, location and timing, and a fee payable to the commissioned artist for the materials, time, and skill required to produce the work. Commissions involve legal contracts between the commissioning agent, and the contracted artist.

Fintan Magee working on a mural commissioned by Lancini Property and Development

Community Engagement

This is the processes of encompassing the wants and needs of community groups, as well as individuals, in the design and implementation of community programs within the public domain. This practice is dedicated to enhancing cultural diversity; providing improved services; developing unified relationships as well as interacting with the end user. Government Grant Programs such as the ARTSLINK Queensland Animating Spaces grant provide a structure for extensive community based collaborations.

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time; impermanent or designed/intended to degrade naturally over time.

Graffiti

Writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times. In modern times, paint - particularly spray paint - and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner’s consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

While the term Street Art is popularly used, the term Graffiti has suffered from more negative connotations. However, many leading ‘Street Artists’ still identify with the term, and would more readily be described as ‘Graffiti Artists’. This is due to a feeling that it is a more authentic term to describe the origins of the artform, which were significantly advanced in Philadelphia and New York in the 1960s and 1970s by artists ‘bombing’ surfaces and engaging in political discussions.

Guerrilla Art

Guerrilla Art is a Street Art movement that first emerged in the UK, but has since spread across the world and is now established in most countries that already had developed Graffiti scenes. It owes much to the early Graffiti movement, in fact so much that in the United States.

The production of Guerrilla Art is focused on cause and effect, not the material piece itself. It aims to produce an effect within the minds of those people that live within the environment being altered. It does not necessarily aim to produce art that is meaningful in itself.

Legal Street Art

Is art, specifically visual art, developed in public spaces - that is, ‘in the streets’ - and is sanctioned by the required government authorities or private property owners.

The term can include traditional Graffitistyle artwork, sculpture, stencils, sticker art, wheat pasting and poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, and street installations.

Typically, the term Street Art (or the more specific post-graffiti) is used to distinguish contemporary public-space artwork from territorial graffiti, vandalism, and corporate art. However, refer to the Graffiti definition to see the preference for this term held by some leading artists in the field.

Mural

A painting or other work of art executed directly on to a wall.

Paste-Up

The Paste-Up is an ever-expanding and innovative form of Street Art that involves an artist making their work onto varying sizes of paper and then applying it to walls and surfaces within their urban environment using Wheat Paste or wallpaper glue. Whether as black and white multiplied photocopies, colourfully hand painted or drawn imagery, or thought provoking text pieces, the Paste-Up is an immediate and bold contemporary artform.

The medium explores not only aesthetic values, but is often politically and socially motivated – which allows experimentation both by accomplished artists as well as people with little or no artistic training.

Permanent

A reference to the longevity of an artwork; in contrast to something that is ephemeral. With reference to art, permanence does not relate to something being eternal, rather that it is intended to remain and be of a good condition for a lengthy, pre-determined timeframe decided based upon the qualities of the medium in question and the work’s location. This timeframe would usually measure in the years if referred to as being ‘permanent’.

Place Making

Place Making encompasses activities and interventions designed to transform, rejuvenate, as well as connect people with space whilst developing a place. Intervention activities incorporate cultural stimulus within obvious, as well as underutilised and often unseen/ unnoticed spaces. They encourage community involvement, whilst stimulating positive visual, audible and physical connections empowering civic pride as well as ownership of space.

Poster Art

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both text and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be used for many purposes.

As an artform, Poster Art was pioneered in the 1890s, and spread throughout Europe. A number of noted French artists created Poster Art in this period, foremost amongst them Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jules Chéret. Posters soon transformed the thoroughfares of Paris into the ‘art galleries of the street.’

Poster Art - along with Paste-Ups - are in frequent use by contemporary Street Artists and are often applied using Wheat Paste. A leading modern exponent of Poster Art is Shepard Fairey (OBEY).

Private Property

Is a legal designation of the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private Property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by local, state or federal government entitites.

Projection

The presentation of an image on a surface using digital image projectors.

The projected image is often a moving image or film based. Projection Art is a rising artform, in keeping with the advancements of the associated technology, as evidenced by a number of projection art festivals beginning around the world. The artform is temporary and doesn’t alter the surface on which it is presented.

Sculpture

Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Durable sculptural processes originally used carving (the removal of material) and modelling (the addition of material, as clay), in stone, metal, ceramics, wood and other materials but, since modernism, shifts in sculptural process led to an almost complete freedom of materials and process.

Stickers

An adhesive label or notice, generally printed or illustrated.Sticker art - also known as Sticker bombing, Sticker slapping, slap tagging, and Sticker tagging - is a form of Street Art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using Stickers. These Stickers may promote a political agenda, or make comment on a policy or issue.

Sticker artists can design and print thousands of Stickers at low cost using a commercial printing service or at home with a computer printer and self-adhesive labels, or as screen printed artworks.

Sticker artists often trade their work with each other in order to expand distribution. An artist’s Stickers may be distributed worldwide and end up adhered in places they themselves have never been to. These trades are sometimes arranged personally or through social networking sites.

Stencil

A thin sheet of card, plastic, or metal with an image, pattern or letters cut out of it, used to produce the cut design on the surface below by the application of ink or paint through the holes.

Street Art

Is art, specifically visual art, developed in public spaces - that is, ‘in the streets’.

The term can include traditional Graffiti-style artwork, sculpture, stencils, sticker art, wheat pasting and poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, and street installations.

Typically, the term Street Art (or the more specific post-graffiti) is used to distinguish contemporary public-space artwork from territorial graffiti, vandalism, and corporate art. However, refer to the Graffiti definition to see the preference for this term held by some leading artists in the field.

Tags

Some of the most common styles of Graffiti have their own names. A ‘tag’ is the most basic writing of an artist’s name, it is simply a handstyle.

A graffiti writer’s tag is his or her personalised signature. Tagging is often the example given when opponents of Graffiti refer to any acts of handstyle Graffiti writing (it is by far the most common form of Graffiti).

Tags can contain subtle and sometimes cryptic messages, and might incorporate the artist’s crew initials or other letters.

Tags are frequently used as a quick way of a graffitist marking a territory, or indicating he has been working in the immediate area.

Stencil artwork by Jet Aerosol, France.

Urban Design

Urban Design is the art of developing places through appropriate design of space; it enables as well as inspires activity promoting interest whilst connecting people with places, often referred to as Place Making. It encompass all aspects of development, such as the design and location of buildings, public transport, roads, pedestrian paths, parks, trees, public art. How development interacts with the end user, as well as its environment, are the guiding principles informing Urban Design.

Urban Planning

Is the determining and drawing up of plans for the future physical arrangement, condition and character of a designated area or community. It is a technical and political process concerned with the use of land and design of the urban environment, including air and water and infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas such as transportation and distribution networks. This practice helps ensure the future sustainability of communities.

Urban Transformation

Is the art of combining Urban Design, Place Making, and Community Enagagement for the purpose of revitalising, reinventing and reconnecting people with the urban environment. Urban Transformations are about presenting cleaner, safer, more interesting, inviting spaces that develop a sense of pride of place, whilst altering subconscious perceptions and feelings towards spaces.

Vandalism

Wilful, unsanctioned, unapproved damage or changes in the condition to property not of the perpetrator’s posession. Vandalism can include the marking of objects or property surfaces with text or imagery, as in most examples of tags.

Wheat Paste

Also referred to as flour paste, or simply paste, Wheat Paste is a gel or liquid adhesive made from wheat flour (or starch) and water. It has been used since antiquity for various arts and crafts such as book binding, découpage, collage, papier-mâché, and adhering paper posters and notices to walls. It is widely used by contemporary street artists as it is inexpensive and rather simple to produce, and provides a strong bind to a variety of surfaces.

Brisbane’s proposed development at Southbank builds on an already significant Urban Transformation project.

The recent Faces of Townsville project delivered by ABC Open and Gallery Services utilised Wheat Paste posters.