Community brought into city's public art proposal

Deborah McCormick will be a keynote speaker during a public art talk.

Tauranga art lovers will soon be able to take part in an upcoming series of public art talks.

The programme features several guest speakers and organiser say it offers conversations between artists, public art commissioners, tangata whenua, urban designers, strategists, historians and curators from Tauranga and around the country.

The programme has been organised to coincide with Tauranga City Council releasing its draft Public Art Policy for consultation, which is open to feedback from February 2.

The debate about who decides what artworks should adorn council-owned buildings and open spaces has been set out in the draft policy, which is also aimed at creating a vibrant and engaging city.

Development of the policy followed concerns that decisions on public art were being made on an ad hoc basis.

The call for Tauranga to join other cities in having a public art policy followed the council's support for 15 giant downtown murals by spray-paint artist Owen Dippie.

Public Art Talks Tauranga has been developed by local arts manager Sonya Korohina, who said the event had been developed to enable local residents to find out more about public art and have their say on the proposed policy.

Speakers will discuss how a policy works in practice, benefits that public art adds to a city, how artists engage with sites and communities, integrating public art into new development and urban design, how works are commissioned, and the contribution of Maori narrative through public art.

"Tauranga's interest in public art is hotting up. We look at cities like Christchurch and New Plymouth and can see how public works create a destination, and offer social benefits through connecting the community with art.

The talks are an opportunity for us to find out more from speakers who in different ways develop public art," she said.

Guest speakers include Deborah McCormick who is the director of SCAPE Public Art in Christchurch, Ludo Campbell-Reid, who is Auckland Council's design champion and Regan Gentry, who has rapidly acquired a reputation as one of Australasia's leading proponents of creative and public art.