City of Wanneroo Public Art Collection

Government

About

About organisation

Exploring and celebrating imagination, creativity and Wanneroo’s cultural heritage, the City showcases its Art Collection at the Wanneroo Gallery and throughout its facilities, like the Civic Centre, the Wanneroo Library & Cultural Centre and other community and recreation centres. The Public Art Collection stretches from Koondoola in the south to Two Rocks in the north and beautifies local parks, streetscapes and playgrounds.

In our collections and cultural activities, we pay respect to the Elders of the Noongar nation, past, present and future, who have walked and cared for the land and we acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contributions made to the life of the City. The greatest proportion of the City of Wanneroo residents are new families with young children, who love to visit and picnic at the historic houses of Cockman House and Buckingham House. It is also a very mobile community, with a great percentage of the City’s population having moved to Wanneroo from within Australia and 40.9% born overseas. We aim to provide safe, welcoming, gathering places for people from diverse backgrounds and assist them to share their self-expression.

The City also aims to inspire appreciation for the arts and support our arts practitioners by creating opportunities for exhibiting, networking and mentoring. The Cultural Services Team seeks to build strong and vibrant communities through the arts, giving residents the chance to share their stories in the Wanneroo Regional Museum, the Community History Centre or visually in the Wanneroo Gallery’s exhibition program. It is good to celebrate what has gone before, what is happening now and what is envisioned for the future.

For more information, visit http://www.wanneroo.wa.gov.au/historyheritageandarts

Collection

Collection overview

Valued at $6.2 million dollars, there are over 160 public artworks within the City of Wanneroo’s Public Art Collection. More than 30 standout works are featured on the Public Art Safari, a free family interactive app, which is a great companion for a fun day out. (The Discover Wanneroo app can be downloaded on Google Play or from the App Store.)

Mary Lindsay has left her gloves and hat on a limestone wall at Lindsay Park along with some salt shakers in the gazebo, with which Mary used to scatter wildflower seeds on her land in Yanchep as she went walking there. Artist Judith Forrest, with her cast aluminium sculptures, intends to intrigue us with these details about the eccentric owner of what is now known as the Mary Lindsay Homestead (currently a community Art Gallery).

Many of the public artworks pay tribute to Wanneroo’s rich heritage, like the Mary Lindsay pieces. Sam Danti, a local Market Gardener, posed for Wanneroo Sam and was captured in a life-size bronze by Ben Jones at the Civic Centre. In Kingsway Regional Playground, Madley, local artist, Mehdi Rasulle, has created a very popular Ozraptor, a theropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Period, which roamed Gondwanaland.

Exploring present day themes, Hayley Welsh worked with students from Butler Primary School to create the design for the entrance to Butler Community Centre. The When We Lift Each Other We Can Fly mural shows whimsical creatures that encourage us to enjoy the wonder of childhood and listen to our own inner voice. Tony Pankiw’s The Enlightened Bicycles is a landmark on Willespie Drive, Pearsall. Complete with a fully functional bike rack, this visually stunning piece is designed to promote the benefits of an active lifestyle by encouraging surrounding residents to cycle.

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