Public art

Public art is a significant marker of the culture of a city. It engages communities, tells stories, evokes conversations and creates a sense of place, leaving a cultural legacy for future generations.

Image: Stillness In Time, Lisa Sorbie Martin, 2016

Public Art Policy

Council is committed to building a leading public art collection that distinguishes our city as a premier cultural experience and destination. Public art is vital to achieving Council’s vision for the Gold Coast – ‘Inspired by Lifestyle. Driven by Opportunity’ – by fostering and expressing our entrepreneurial spirit and creativity through a highly visible and accessible artform.

The Public Art Policy defines public art as art that is made for and located in the public realm. It is artwork, two-dimensional, three-dimensional and/or digital, created for specific places and sites that may be permanent or temporary, including participatory and event-based artworks. Public art is not a distinct artform as such; rather the term refers to works of art in any media created by artists from a wide range of artistic fields, for and in the context of the civic realm, be it the built or natural environment.

View our Public Art Policy.

Urban art

The City has a vision for urban art that is vibrant, contemporary, world class and distinctly Gold Coast.

Urban art helps to beautify the city through regeneration and re-imagining of flat spaces and surfaces. This includes walls and building perimeters that sit in the public space.

Urban art can include (but not limited to):

murals – City murals include projects such as Water Walls
Artbox – an outdoor gallery of artwork installed across the city on traffic signal boxes
projections
lighting
landscape architecture.

We work with artists and private property owners to connect and create innovative works – works that enhance the artistic calibre, diversity, community connection and beauty of our city. We have a wealth of outdoor spaces and we want to celebrate our city with art that inspires, intrigues and surprises.

If you are a professional practising artist with an urban art portfolio and would like to be considered for future City commissions, contact the Arts and Culture Unit.

The Arts and Culture unit is available to answer questions from artists and businesses contemplating an urban art project.