Dandaragan Shire levy mooted in percentage for art move

Dandaragan Shire wants to create a new funding source for public art by levying all new public building, urban planning or urban landscape projects.

Shire president Leslee Holmes said this would pay for more art to attract visitors.

“We will be establishing an art trail in the very near future,” she said.

“The importance of art and culture is underestimated in our society and we want to be leading the charge in this one.”

Under the policy all projects worth $500,000 or more would have to spend one per cent of the capital cost commissioning public art, or contribute cash-in-lieu for the Shire to spend on public art. Ms Holmes said it was part of a comprehensive public art policy out for public comment.

Shire community services manager Michelle Perkins told councillors the Shire had no policy for public art development or support.

“Currently, the approach by the Shire for art projects has been predominantly community-driven with no clear thematic or strategic direction on the surrounding environment or site,” she wrote in her report.

Cervantes Cultural Committee president and Badgingarra artist Anne Murray said various town-based committees had been left to try to get enough money to pay for sculptures around their towns.

“We wanted to do an arts trail so tourists would follow the arts trail from Cervantes to Jurien to Dandaragan to Badgingarra,” she said. “We are very much a tourist shire, and if we can attract and encourage tourists with something to see and do I’m all for it.”

Dandaragan artist and Cervantes Art Festival member Andrea Gray said she hoped local artists would be given preferential treatment in the allocation of art funds.