Clarence Valley Council Wins Silver in the Australia Art Awards

Published on 11 March 2024

Clarence Valley Council has taken the silver award in the Australian Street Art Awards in the Best Monument or Memorial category for the 2022 Flood Memorial Murals project.

The 2022 Flood Memorial Murals project was one of thirty-four public art experiences recognised as the best in the country at the Australian Street Art Awards.
Commissioned by Clarence Valley Council and funded through the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation, the 2022 Flood Memorial Murals project recognises the resilience of community and the deep and meaningful connections formed during the flood events of 2021.

For the project, Clarence Valley artists were commissioned to create a series of public artworks around the region. Artist Nitsua’s mural on the water tower in Lawrence, designed in consultation with students at Lawrence Public School, depicts a child gazing up at the moon, with a Rainbow Lorikeet soaring through the valley symbolizing the everlasting flow of the mighty Clarence River.
Artworks by Al Stark painted on the pylons under the Harwood Bridge depict four female river sentinels and embody the stories and dreaming of river and sea. These works commemorate the floods which affected Yamba and surrounding villages and stand as reminders of the power of the Clarence catchment.

Artwork installed on planter boxes in Prince Street, Grafton, represents the work of twenty artists who were invited to tell their flood stories. Subject matter includes the inundation of the Aerodrome, raging floodwaters in the upper reaches of the river, and a comedic retelling of the tropes associated with community conversations around flood times.

What are the Australian Street Art Awards?
Founded in 2018, the Tourism Awards for Public Art program promotes excellence and innovation in art tourism by recognising towns, cities, and regions that use outdoor, publicly accessible art to promote their destination and engage their community.

The Australian Street Art Awards showcase Australian destinations where visitors can see world-class public art that is accessible and enjoyable all year round and celebrates excellence in cultural tourism promotion.

My Clarence Valley tourism promotion has included social media campaigns, a street art trail: https://www.myclarencevalley.com/stories/explore-street-art-in-the-clarence-valley/, and the inclusion of the Lawrence Water Tower mural on the Australian Silo Art Trail: https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/lawrence