Artists for Chinatown Artworks Announced
Chinatown artist tenders awarded to nationally recognised artists Nicole and Alex Mickel and Nic Compton.
Local Broome artists to collaboratively design sculptures and street art that honours Chinatown heritage and culture.
Expansion of Chinatown’s public art collection to celebrate the precincts culture and history.
New artworks planned for Chinatown are progressing with the official artists selected for two major sculptures after a competitive process with a total of 23 submissions received.
The sculptures are a part of the Chinatown Revitalisation Project and will bring to life the culture and history of Chinatown while expanding Broome’s public art collection.
Nicole and Alex Mickel of Safehaven Studio have been awarded the Chinatown entry statement with their vision for a large iconic sculpture that articulates the uniqueness of Chinatown.
Once complete, the entry statement sculpture will be located near the corner of Carnarvon Street and Napier Terrace to act as an iconic welcoming to visitors of Chinatown.
The nationally recognised WA artists will be in Broome this month to plan and meet with a broad cross section of the community so they can gain further insights into Chinatown and its unique culture to help shape their work of art.
Further down Carnarvon Street, in the middle of the retail precinct, “The Shop Keepers” installation celebrating the Chinatown shop keepers and their stores, will be designed by WA artist Nic Compton.
This artwork will creatively represent a unique selection of shops and the people who ran them.
Broome Shire President, Cr Harold Tracey, said the sculptures would contribute tremendously to telling Chinatown’s stories, educating locals and visitors alike on our towns history and culture.
“The Chinatown Revitalisation Project is about planning for our future while celebrating our past.”
“The involvement of so many, and from such a diverse range of cultures speaks volumes. Chinatown really is the multicultural heart and soul of Broome” Cr Tracey said.
A number of other artworks planned for Chinatown are also in progress by local Broome artists and cultural groups.
To further honour Chinatown’s history, the Broome Chinese Community Committee are helping source a formal Chinese welcome sculpture.
Nyamba Buru Yawuru artists are working together to create a new interpretive bronze sculpture depicting the traditional connection to the pearl shell.
On Carnarvon Street, visual imprints will be integrated into landscaping items such as benches and light posts. Patterns and text being developed by the Broome Chinese Community Committee will depicthistorical and cultural content of Chinatown. More benches and lighting on Dampier Terrace will be adorned with laser cut-outs and sandblasted concrete designs by the Nagula Jarndu Saltwater Women depicting Chinatown’s environmental and cultural context.
Through interpretation, public art and integrating art into the precincts landscaping, the Chinatown Revitalisation Project is helping to strengthen Chinatown’s vibrancy. The artworks are set to be revealed on the completion of Carnarvon Street and Dampier Terrace upgrades in June 2019.
facebook.com.au/ChinatownBroome | Instagram @ChinatownBroome
About the Chinatown Revitalisation Project
The $12.7 million Chinatown Revitalisation project is being delivered in partnership by the State Government and the Shire of Broome, with $10 million funding from Royalties for Regions, $2 million from the Shire of Broome, and $700,000 from Tourism WA.
The project includes 10 sub-projects all designed to reinforce Chinatown’s position as the ‘Heart and Soul’ of Broome – the historic, cultural and hospitality centre of our town.
These sub-projects include feasibility studies for larger, potentially transformational projects, as well as design and construction of significant street and landscape upgrades to Carnarvon Street and Dampier Terrace to make the precinct more attractive and encourage activity.
Implementation of the projects and oversight of the feasibility studies is being undertaken jointly by the Shire of Broome, Kimberley Development Commission and LandCorp. A Community and Stakeholder Reference Group has been established by the Shire and consultation with the wider community and key stakeholders will continue throughout the process.
