Many local governments around Australia are working to facilitate arts and cultural projects that deal with their diverse resident communities. But are such projects more about ticking boxes on paperwork than truly engaging with locals? A recent public art commission targeted at refugees in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray has left some participating artists asking that question.
Earlier this year, Melbourne’s Maribyrnong City Council developed a commission for a public art work, inspired by an infamous piece of graffiti in central Footscray. The graffiti in question featured the words The West Welcomes Refugees, and subsequently captured public attention when it was photographed by Neil Newitt and accompanied an article and published in The Age Melbourne Magazine in December 2004.
