Murwillumbah
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I won’t be attending the upcoming Proudfoots Lane Party in Murwillumbah. Whilst the notion “In Murwillumbah” suggests local content I wander into wonder how we have ended up with such nonsense. You may have seen some murals popping up about town funded by the NSW Government’s Community Improvement District (CID) pilot program Murwillumbah CID grant. This project sprouts to be for everyone however in my experience this has not been the case. The project has fallen short in many aspects of project consultation and delivery and is yet another example of a Tweed Shire supported project which has excluded The Sauce Studio.
Since growing up in the Tweed Valley and completing my first mural at the family farm in C. 1989, (and going on to fail art in High School in 1994 in Murwillumbah) I have 25 years professional experience as a full time self employed mural artist and have pioneered many of these types of projects during extensive experience in the community arts sector. Given my dedication to Public Art and murals and ties to the specific locations as detailed and pictured below, It appears either incompetence or exclusionary practices have played a role in this instance. Furthermore, whilst there appears to be some opportunity for local emerging artists, the lack of local content for larger scale works is disappointing. Numerous featured artists commissioned are from outside the area who are described as fresh energy for promotional purposes.
In recent months I was contacted by the event organiser and we discussed workshops and murals. I was informed I would be notified when opportunities to apply were open for murals. I contacted Business Murwillumbah who initially responded and indicated opportunity to work together. I was assured there had been an extensive consultative process prior to my email being blocked and no reply from a follow up web contact from submission on my behalf to maintain communication.
I rented a working studio & gallery space in Proudfoots Lane during 2013/14 where I held 4 solo exhibitions and also created numerous murals in Proudfoots Lane along with facilitating stencil art workshops and participating in community events. I had seen designs, signs and a variety of art commissions throughout the Tweed area come to fruition whilst advocating for Murwillumbah to be a cultural hub. I assert in this instance I have again been overlooked or excluded given my history with the specific area in conjunction with my professional experience with this type of project being second to none.
In a broader context is disappointing Tweed Regional Gallery and M-Arts haven’t supported local mural artists. This coincides with exclusionary practices by local government which continue to drive talent out of the area. For this reason I complete dozens of murals each year across Queensland each year for schools, business, community groups and local government. I used to be local, now I just live in Murwillumbah.
