City Art

Art in public places is one of the indicators of a flourishing cultural life. It can add joy, texture and complexity to public spaces, help to define our places, tell our stories, and preserve our memories for future generations.

City Art is the City of Sydney’s program for public art, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, local and international artists to contribute to the creative and cultural heartbeat of our city.

Our public art program plays a crucial role in developing opportunities for artists to reflect on contemporary life and present innovative ideas to challenge and delight.

With guidance from our Public Art Advisory Panel and in accordance with our public art strategy, policy and guidelines we:

• commission permanent and temporary artworks
• manage, care for and conserve a collection of over 250 permanent public artworks
• support the creation of street art and murals
  
• provide guidelines and support for public art in new developments.

Our programs and policies

Being one of the most visible and accessible types of expression there is, we encourage public art and have many programs and policies to enhance public art in our community.

We’re commissioning works of national significance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and designers as part of the Eora Journey: Recognition in the Public Domain program to celebrate the First Peoples of Australia.

Our collection features artworks created for projects to enhance key areas of the city.

Our conservation program involves professional conservators, artisans and specialised craftspeople to ensure artworks in our collection are given the highest quality of care.

Through temporary art programs such as our laneways program, we create opportunities for artists to test ideas and transform overlooked and underused spaces within the city. Every year, we seek expressions of interest from anyone with a big idea to create a moment of surprise and delight through our Art & About program.

These projects and programs are guided by our public art policy and strategy.