The Victorian government has announced a further $1.2 million in funding for six new public artworks to be created that aims to commemorate outstanding Victorian women.
The state’s Minister for Women, Natalie Hutchins, encouraged artists, organisations and community groups to apply to the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program, which will give $200,000 for each commission.
“We’re building greater recognition of women who have contributed above and beyond for Victoria, and creating a permanent record of their excellence,” Hutchins said in a statement. “We know that by elevating women’s achievements in such a visible way, all sorts of opportunities can arise.”
Artists who identify as women or woman-led creative collectives can apply to create works (either sculptures, murals or installations) that celebrate a woman with state significance.
The artworks, which will be displayed across land-owning organisations such as councils, arts institutes and private companies in Victoria, will be set up by McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, a public art specialist based in Langwarrin, Victoria.
McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery Artistic and Executive Director Lisa Byrne said that the “underrepresentation of works of, and by, women is a colossal gap in public art, locally and globally.”
“As Australia’s preeminent authority on sculpture and spatial practice, McClelland will dedicate our public art expertise to ensuring this project makes significant inroads in reversing this imbalance,” she said in a statement.
The Victorian Government issued a statement addressing the gender gap in public art, stating: “Of the almost 600 statues across Melbourne’s public spaces, only around 2 per cent represent women, with most statues representing men or animals.”
“[Further], Aboriginal women are often invisible in public artworks,” its statement read. “That’s why the Labor Government is working to shift the dial on the public representation of women, investing a further $1.2 million into the second round of the landmark Women’s Public Art Program.”
Previous rounds of commissions saw the creation of artworks commemorating prominent figures including disability rights advocate Stella Young, equal pay campaigner Zelda D’Aprano, and war surgeon Vera Scantlebury Brown OBE.
Nicholls’ daughter, Aunty Pam Pedersen said, “There are so many women we don’t even hear about, grassroots women from all backgrounds, that need to be rewarded and recognised for the way they are helping others.”