Tara first in line to get a slice of public art

The corner of Fry and Day Streets in Tara is about to come alive with an eye-catching mural as a new placemaking project gets underway.

The old Foodworks storefront is about to be transformed into a large-scale artwork, after Western Downs Regional Council recently invited local artists to express their interest in revamping the vacant space.

The initiative has been so well received around the community that the neighbouring business, The Tara Cafe decided to expand these works and incorporate the art into their café.

Spokesperson for Community and Cultural Development Councillor Kaye Maguire said this will be a fantastic addition to the town which will invite conversation and social interaction among the community which is an important aspect of building town pride.

“The artwork will no doubt have a very positive effect on the community, completely transforming and brightening the main street and will act as a conversation starter amongst the locals and visitors,” she said.

“The thousands of visitors that will make their way to the town for the upcoming Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races will be amongst the first to lay their eyes on the new artwork and I can’t wait to hear all the feedback about what I’m sure will be a fantastic piece.”

Placemaking and beautification has been a focus area for Council recently with the implementation of the Warrego Highway Landscape Project, the regional highway upgrades and now public art.

It is these initiatives which work to further develop the Western Downs as a vibrant place to live as well as a thriving tourism destination.

The artist selected to do the piece is Graeme McCullough, a well-known artist within the region who creates fantastic pieces which bring bursts of colour to our towns.

Graeme said that he was excited to be given the opportunity to take on this project as he has very fond memories of Tara from his time growing up there.

“Tara holds a special place in my heart so I was pleased to be given this project,” he said.

“Although I have done a lot of storefront artworks, this mural has probably got to be one of the biggest.

“I can’t give too much away on what it will look like, however I can say that it will reflect some of Tara’s unique features and I’ll be putting my own special twist on it.

“It’ll be quite a busy month for me as I have eight storefronts lined up to paint for the Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races on top of this mural which I will be starting in early July.”

The artwork is expected to take roughly two weeks to complete, just in time for the much-anticipated Tara Festival which kicks off Friday 2 August.

For more information on the project, contact Council on 1300 COUNCIL.

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