Opportunity – Community Connections

Art in the public realm integrates with our everyday lives, fostering attachment to local places. Launceston is comprised of a vibrant network of communities and places from inner city areas to outer suburban centres and rural villages. There is great opportunity to generate community pride and social inclusion through public art processes and projects. Grass roots public art projects can be tailored to meet community needs and maximise community benefit, including the involvement of socially marginalised or disadvantaged people. There is opportunity to partner with community groups, schools, arts organisations, and social service providers.

There is increasing recognition of the value of creativity to mental health and wellbeing and the role creativity plays in building social resilience, and capacities for adaptation and recovery. Artists have a real role to play in community life and public art projects can bring people and place together in ways that are meaningful, relevant, and of lasting impact.

Recommendations

• Continue to foster public art projects through the ABCDE Learning Sites and the placebased work of the Community Connector to support public art outcomes in, with and by local communities. Consider leveraging these projects for further development and investment.

• Consider an extension and/or renewal of the traffic signal box painting program across Launceston’s suburban centres.

• Explore a community public art partnership program with schools and young people.

• Encourage and support community-based and artist-driven public art initiatives through the City’s community grants programs.