Palmerston North City Council seeks feedback on public art

Berrymans Lane in central Palmerston North is full of public art. Photo / ManawatuNZ.co.nz

Palmerston North City Council is seeking feedback on how the city delivers and takes care of its public art.

“Our city is fortunate to have many public artworks that enhance our community spaces including murals, sculptures and pop-up installations,” chief planning officer David Murphy says.

“We currently deliver public art in Palmerston North in different ways – through partnerships with our arts sector, direct commissions from artists, community initiatives, and sometimes as gifts or loans to the city from private donors.

“We want to make sure that how we deliver our art is inclusive, and that we look after it well. To help us do this we’re looking for community views on how Palmerston North gets its art for public spaces and where you think it should be.”

The council doesn’t have a policy that guides how it makes decisions on public art, but to “ensure clarity” is now developing one.

“Having a policy for how we acquire and care for our public art will mean that we can deliver public art in partnership with, and for, our community,” Murphy says.

“It will also help us plan long-term for the ongoing maintenance of our art assets.

“Before we can prepare our draft for consideration by elected members, we need your input to make sure we’re covering all the most important things.”

The views of the community and organisations will inform the drafting of the policy.

The draft will then go out for formal consultation.

• Go to pncc.govt.nz/publicart to provide feedback by August 21.