Sustainable for the community designs

is then analysed and translated into design by Peter.”

Greenacre residents are familiar with a recent work of public art at McGuigan Place, in the form of a ‘3’written in the Arabic script. Located in a play area near the town centre it is part of the functional art piece 1, 2 and 3. Its clever design addresses the need for public seating while providing a piece of professional art to wow at.

Called Arabic ‘3’ Mural Seat, this is one among many such works which has helped its creators win a coveted award this month.

Peter and Rina Day of Environmental Art +Design (EA+D) recently received the 2009 Business Achievers Award in the Professional Services Category. The company specialises in public art such as murals, sculptures, banners, ceramics, mosaics and playgrounds.

The designs that they have achieved acclaim for, are rooted to the community for which they are intended, and this is one of the reasons for their success.

“We aim to create sustainable designs and by involving the community we give them a sense of ownership of the finished product,” artist Peter Day says.

Peter owns the award winning EA+D and generously credits his Indian-born wife Rina for being the key support behind their success.

“Rina looks after the marketing side of the business, acting as client liaison and public relations officer,” says he.

“And... she cooks great food and Indian curries,” he adds playfully.

Further explaining her own role Rina says, “We have to apply for tenders to get the public projects. I help in preparing them and give my comments so it is very much a partnership. Peter is the artistic director while I do the text bit.

Sometimes the clients ask for community consultation in which case I go with Peter to the consultations and prepare the community engagement plan. I collect information which

Rina moved to Australia from Calcutta in 1995. Armed with a Masters degree in Clothing and Textiles and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare, she has great expertise in relating to ethnic groups, and helps with the company projects by engaging the community, gathering ideas, asking for suggestions and giving presentations.

An artist in her own right, she has been creating art for the past 20 years and has participated in many exhibitions here and in India. Making quilts is a particular passion (she is a member of the NSW Quilt Guild). Of course, she incorporates elements of Indian embroidery into her art.

Lace is another passion. Rina creates traditional as well as contemporary bobbin lace and has coordinated two exhibitions, Open Fabric: Traditional & Contemporary Australian Lace in 2001 and Lace from the West at Fairfield City Museum and Gallery in 2008. She also dabbles in collage and works on paper using textile materials. Rina has given lectures on Indian textiles and embroidery in various institutions in India and Australia including the University of New South Wales, Australian Academy of Decorative Arts, University of the Third Age and many guild groups.

Since 1980, Environmental Art + Design has created 170 pieces of public art including notable commissions such as the King George V Activity Centre Mural for Sydney City Council. This piece is the largest community mural in the Southern Hemisphere.

Another work, Gift Given, created for the Robyn Webster Sport Reserve in Tempe, is the biggest mural in Australia. Other pieces include Swimming in Duck Creek for the Granville Swimming Centre, Arabic Three in Greenacre, and Recycle, a multi-purpose seating and bicycle rack for the Ku-ring-gai Council. Rina explains the rigorous process they had to go through in order to win the Business Achievers award. “There were three stages of which the first was to garner support from our clients and ask them to vote for us, than we had to answer a lengthy questionnaire which was followed by a mystery shopper who reported back on our services.”

She admits, “Winning this award has given a great morale boost to us. It was an acknowledgement of what we do. It has made us realize that we are good and that our services are of the highest standards.”

But will they participate next year? Rina is not sure. She concedes they will have to wait and see the impact of it on the business and then decide whether to participate next year or not.

EA+D was in the running for the 2009 Professional Services award with five other finalists including Bankstown Airport, Mai Home Loans, Hands On Wheels, Paul Burgess Legal Services and Canterbury Bankstown Physiotherapy.

The Australian Business Achievers Awards has been an initiative of the Cumberland Courier Newspapers for the past 15 years. The awards are hosted for 19 regions across Sydney and Central Coast and aim to acknowledge and celebrate the local businesses success in their communities. The program is designed to promote community growth and encourage the potential of local businesses. The major sponsors for this year’s event were the ORS Group, NSW Business Chamber, Gosford City Council and Lake Haven shopping centre. Businesses competed for awards in over 34 categories including Adult Community and other Education, Cafe/Coffee Shop, Business Services, Clubs, Beauty Services, Fashion Retail, Florist, Children’s Services etc. The award ceremony was held at the Bankstown Sports Club.

Meanwhile, the Days are busy preparing for the opening of Peter’s new studio on 21 November and waiting to begin their new public projects.