Wonthaggi art hits the streets
If you’re wandering through Wonthaggi and take a detour down Abrahams Lane, you will be met with a colourful collection of intricate artworks in place of a plain, brick wall. With plenty of local references, such as tributes to Wonthaggi’s coal mining history or the waves Bass Coast’s beaches are famous for, to colourful characters from home grown artists and Wonthaggi Secondary College Satellite VCAL students, there is no denying the wall is a true work of art. The newest addition to Wonthaggi’s growing street art scene and led by talented local artist and no stranger to street art himself, Tom Murray-White, this mural is the first component of the Stop Tagging Start Street Art Project funded by the Department of Justice and led by Bass Coast Shire Council. Council’s General Manager Healthy Communities, David Elder, said the aim of the project is to divert the rapid increase of graffiti and tagging that has occurred over the past year in the town.
young people to take part in an extensive art project, and collaborate with businesses, schools and young people to reduce graffiti and tagging.”
Project as a demonstration of how to run similar street art projects in the future, how to report acts of graffiti and tagging and how to remove graffiti and tagging.
So how was the grant used to achieve this?
“The Stop Tagging Start Street Art Project has been an energetic and successful collaboration between Wonthaggi Police, the Wonthaggi Business Association, Wonthaggi Community VCAL students and staff, and Council,” Mr Elder said.
Mr Elder said the purpose of the grant was to raise community awareness that graffiti and tagging is illegal, and build community experience and awareness around ‘how to’ facilitate legal Street Art projects. “The Bass Coast community wanted to get projects like this happening and Council saw this as a great opportunity to seek funding and lead an exciting project that would address issues of tagging and graffiti by getting people involved in legitimate street art projects they could be proud of instead,” Mr Elder said.
“Wonthaggi Police approached Council because they were concerned about the increase in graffiti, particularly within proximity of the project site, Abrahams Lane,” Mr Elder said.
“Getting people involved in these kinds of projects can also increase skills and opportunities for local artists and young people, and support the community to develop the networks, skills and project model for a street art program.”
“Council was then able to apply for a grant from the Department of Justice, which gave both the Police and Council the chance to reduce tagging, provide opportunities for
The second aspect of the grant will be to develop a brochure that will highlight the Wonthaggi Stop Tagging Start Street Art
“We’d like to thank our partners and the steering committee, who will oversee this project from start to finish.” For more information and updates, you can ‘like’ the Wonthaggi Street Art Facebook page at www.facebook.com/streetartwonthaggi.
Bass Coast Shire Council 76 McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi VIC 3995 1300 BCOAST (226 278) or (03) 5671 2211 Fax (03) 5671 2222 National Relay Service 13 36 77 basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au
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