Public Art

Mother Earth, 1952 by George Allan. A tribute to nature’s gifts of mining and agriculture. Local resident Frank Pinkerton commissioned sculptor George Allan to make the work from Hawkesbury freestone and granite.

The placement of each piece of public art throughout our city, whether it’s a memorial or a contemporary statement, has been closely discussed, evaluated and considered. Every single piece has been placed at a specific moment in time, highlighting a particular moment, event or person.

Public art is about more than just the works themselves. Each piece signifies a message that people wish to convey and expresses collective experiences at a specific point in time.

Public art is important because it’s exactly that – it’s public. It’s free. It’s open to everyone. There are over 120 pieces of public art placed throughout our city and surrounds. You can take a stroll through our collection online.

From the central Sturt Street Gardens, to pieces in Bridge Mall, the Botanic Gardens and around Lake Wendouree. We have a city-wide collection of art that we treat just like an open-air gallery, through curation, maintenance, repair and cleaning.

As our city grows, it is important that we continually grow and evolve our public art collection. With the implementation of the Creative City Strategy and our Public Art Policy we are encouraging growth in temporary and ephemeral artistic expressions, as well as growing our permanent public art pieces.

The City of Ballarat commissions new public artworks through dedicated, annual public art funding and also through partnerships with our community.