The names and profiles of two artists, Martin ‘Marty’ Hirst and Paul Moreland, in the annual Banyule Open Studios (BOS) weekend (11-13 October) have been removed at the request of Banyule City Council due to the artists’ candidacy in the upcoming local election.
Hirst (Victorian Socialists candidate) and Moreland (Greens candidate) are local practising artists and regular participants in BOS. Hirst, who is also the secretary of BOS, reached out to ArtsHub with the concern that the Council has overstepped its responsibility in maintaining election integrity.
