Should a panel help decide which artwork is permanently displayed in Hamilton’s public spaces?

It’s one of the questions Hamilton City Council wants the community’s help answering, as it considers two draft policies that could guide decisions around public art.

Council’s Draft Permanent Public Art and Draft Monuments and Memorial Art policies aim to provide more clarity and guidance around how public art is accepted and managed.

Community Committee Chair Councillor Mark Bunting said capturing the community’s feedback was an important part of shaping the city together.

“There’s no doubt – public art helps create a vibrant, thriving city. It tells tales and helps to build city pride. But we’re an incredibly diverse city, and we know we need rock-solid guidelines to make sure we’re telling Hamilton’s stories fairly and well.”

The Draft Permanent Public Art and Draft Monuments and Memorial Art policies will be open for feedback between 7 June and 9 July.

“We want to make sure a wide range of views and voices are heard before we make any decisions,” Bunting said.

“If you’re interested, take 10 minutes to tell us what you think.”

The draft policies propose to:

• Differentiate monuments and memorials from public art, so depictions of individuals, groups or events undergo a more robust community engagement process.
• Establish an art panel to review and make recommendations around new artwork proposals.
• Establish a process for dealing with existing public art that has caused significant upset to community members. The policies propose that a taskforce – made up of Council staff, Elected Members, Maaori representation and any other relevant experts – would review the artwork in question and make a recommendation. Council would still make the final decision on the removal or relocation of any public art.

Once the community’s feedback has been analysed, Council will hear people’s views at the Hearings and Engagement meeting on 28 July. The Community Committee will consider these and make a decision at a later meeting.

Council’s current Permanent Public Art Process was adopted in 2012 and last reviewed in 2016.

The consultation opens on Monday 7 June. To have your say or find out more, you can visit here. Otherwise, visit a Council office or your local library for hard copy feedback forms.

To find out more about the policies or to read our Frequently Asked Questions click here

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