Grafton lights up after dark for Jacaranda

Published on 19 October 2022

Clarence Valley Council's Illuminate and Building Bridges projects combine to create a spectacular nightscape across Grafton this Jacaranda Season.

Artworks by local Gumbaynggir, Yaegl and Bundjalung artists celebrating the endangered coastal emu will be projected onto the Sunshine Sugar building in South Grafton from 22 October to 6 November as part of the Building Bridges project.

Lights installed throughout the See Park will light up the jacarandas every night for three weeks from 20 October until 10 November as part of the Illuminate project.

BUILDING BRIDGES

The projection on the Sunshine Sugar tower is part of the Building Bridges project  funded by the NSW Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

Clarence Valley Council has worked with local First Nations artists, Sunshine Sugar, Esem projects, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to create a projection mural for the Grafton Bridges precinct. 

Meet the Artists:

• Kahlua Charlton is a proud Yaegl woman.  Her culture has a big influence on what and how she paints. She likes to share her culture's history, share stories, and educate people through her paintings.
• Gareth Charlton is a Yaegl artist who lives in Maclean.  Gareth supports the efforts to save the endangered coastal emus and produced these artworks to educate people about the plight of this flightless bird.
• Aneika Kapeen is a Yaegl woman from Maclean.  Aneika founded the Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation in Maclean and is proudly celebrating the coastal emu with an inaugural festival to be held in Woolweyah on 29 October 2022.
• Maisie Monaghan is a young Bundjalung girl from Grafton.  She was awarded the Youth Prize in the Clarence Valley Indigenous Art Award 2021 and has created two artworks for this project.
• Deborah Taylor is a Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung artist from South Grafton.  As an artist, Deborah is heavily influenced by her Aboriginal heritage, local legends, stories, and family history.  Deborah’s work is in the Grafton Regional Gallery collection and she is a member of the Boomalli Artist Co-operative.

Where to see the projection:

• The best vantage point to view the projection is from the shared path on the southern side of the new Grafton bridge. Access by parking in Through Street, South Grafton near the roundabout, and walk towards the bridge. This path is wheelchair accessible.
• To access from Grafton please park in Greaves Street and use the shared path to walk to the observation point.
• The projection will be visible when driving north over the Grafton Bridge on the Summerland Way.  Drivers should take care and drive safely.

The project includes:

• Mural in the Greaves Street underpass of the new Grafton Bridge (completed)
• Mural on the South Grafton riverbank – Aboriginal Welcome words (in progress)
• Mural on the Grafton riverbank – Aboriginal Welcome words (in progress)
• Mural in the Grafton Library Carpark in Pound Street (completed)
• Projection on the Sugar Tower in South Grafton (this project)
• Communications to artists and community about the area, safety around the rail corridor and the heritage elements of the bridges

About the project:

• The $89,360 Building Bridges project aims to facilitate public artworks, involve community groups and organisations and activate the entry into Grafton, including the town entrance via Pound Street to the library.
• The project celebrates the Clarence River, First Nations culture, and local community in establishing a community cultural precinct.
• Community engagement in the development and design of public artworks ensures strong ownership of and pride in the public spaces.
• Site specific artworks create distinctive locations and help to build local identity and neighbourhood character.
• Working together to encourage public art and the development of this space whilst protecting the heritage and community safety is core to this project.

ILLUMINATE

Illuminate was first launched in 2021 with the aim to create a unique space that encourages visitors to explore See Park after dark. This means more visitors staying overnight in the Clarence Valley, providing a boost to local businesses via the visitor economy. It is also somewhere residents can go with their visiting friends and family to show off Grafton’s beauty, either for a twilight picnic or an evening meander.

In 2021/22 Clarence Valley Council received $195,000 in Federal Government funding for the ‘Light Up Grafton Jacarandas’ project – now known as ‘Illuminate’ – as part of the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants program. This funding paid for the lighting assets - which are now Council-owned - the design, and the first installation of the project. Council has put up $25,000 of ratepayer money in the 2022/23 Budget toward the installation of this year's project.

The Grafton Jacaranda Festival will utilise the space each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening throughout Illuminate with live entertainment, food vans and refreshments (weather permitting).

Jaca Jill will once again be placed in See Park for the duration, with security presence each night.

Clarence Valley Council contracted local company Summertime Electrical and Security to install the lighting extravaganza. Check out the work that goes into installing the project.