Wollongong City Council

Public Art Specialist

At Wollongong City Council we have a steadfast commitment to creating an Extraordinary Wollongong. We are in an exciting period of transformation and focused on delivering exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community.

Our strength is the diversity of our people. Together our responsibility is to create an inclusive place where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. We lead with courage, openness and curiosity. Our conversations and actions celebrate diversity, inclusion and belonging. Learn more about us here.

Are you passionate about Public Arts? This is the opportunity for you!

Let your experience and creativity thrive in this exciting opportunity as an experienced and innovative Public Art Specialist. Join our City and Culture Team and work with a small and passionate team. Your experience in delivering public art projects, underpinned by principles of community art and cultural development, will guide you in overseeing all aspects of Council's Public Art Program. The program covers a broad range of activities including project management, commissioning of new artworks, delivery of the public art maintenance program and working with internal and external stakeholders to deliver actions in Council's Public Art Cultural Strategies.

You will bring expert knowledge of the cultural, technical and practical facets of public art, and a demonstrated ability to manage the legislative, regulatory and political aspects required to deliver high quality, meaningful works for the community. You have experience working in culturally safe and appropriate ways with diverse communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

With a strong understanding of contemporary and emerging public art theories, local government contexts and the unique cultural and political space that public art occupies, you have the technical expertise in the commissioning and maintenance of public art. You have a passion for community art and cultural development and demonstrated stakeholder management skills.

This is a permanent part time role, working a flexible 28 hours per week, for a degree-qualified professional. Salary from $54.57/hr up to $64.17/hr plus superannuation. Under Part 2, Section 6 of the Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012, this position has been designated as requiring a paid Working With Children Check.

What you will be doing

In this role, you will be the key driver in implementing the Animating Wollongong Public Art Strategy 2022-2032 along with relevant actions in the Creative-Wollongong Cultural Strategy 2024-2033. This can include:

• Delivering an annual public art program, from community art to major commissions
• Project managing all aspects of public art commissions, including artist selection, stakeholder engagement, artist relations, project delivery, technical oversight and comms
• Engaging with local Aboriginal communities on public art projects
• Improving information and communication about the public art collection
• Investigating external funding and partnerships for public art projects
• Convening the Public Art Advisory Panel and internal working groups
• Advocating for the consideration of public art in capital works and infrastructure strategies and projects, and investigate its integration into planning, design and implementation processes
• Overseeing the public art maintenance program, ensuring that it meets whole of life asset management principles
• Investigating the inclusion of public art in regulatory frameworks such as Local Environment Plans, Development Control Plans and Development Applications
• Developing the West Dapto Public Art Strategy

About you

Along with your passion for community public arts, you are technically knowledgeable about contemporary art theory. You are culturally competent and experienced working with diverse communities. You are community-centred with experience working with / for public services. You enjoy working collaboratively with the ability to work independently on projects.

Benefits of working at Council:

• We provide flexible working arrangements
• We are value-led, support and encourage personal and professional growth, recognise and reward performance and embrace change.
• We provide generous leave provisions including 5 weeks annual leave per year of service
• Long Service Leave after 5 years
• We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all, (everyone, every day and everywhere) and make available wellbeing programs to support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our staff to be at their best.

Interested?

For more information, click on Apply to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's E-recruitment site.

Contact Shannon Kennedy, Arts and Culture Coordinator, on (02) 42278634 for questions related to the job

For assistance in submitting your application, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team on (02) 4227 7065.

Applications close 11:59pm, Monday 17 February 2025.