A mural project for Drysdale

The Festival of Glass committee has initiated a Mural Project to create two ceramic and glass public art exhibits in Drysdale.

Uncle David Tournier

 

The first will be a free-standing, ceramic and glass ‘Welcome to Drysdale’ sign located prominently in the town centre. Creating the 'Welcome' sign will give the mural team the knowledge and experience to create the other piece of public art – a major mural.

The second exhibit will be a major ceramic and glass mural with the theme, ‘Bridging Our Heritage: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ located prominently on a wall in the town centre.

·      ‘Yesterday’ How our past continues to influence the presence. It would refer to the continuing presence of the Wathaurong people – the original inhabitants of the land; and to the continuing effects of Europeans’ arrival.

·      ‘Today’ How we describe our Community today. This would include local institutions, schools, service clubs, sporting clubs, community groups, local businesses and emergency services.

·      ‘Tomorrow’ The hopes and dreams of the community and especially of its young people - our future.

Building community through glass

The Mural Project is an initiative of the Festival of Glass. The Festival aims to enhance community well being and quality of life by involving individuals, groups and organisations in creative projects. This makes the Bellarine Peninsula an attractive destination for glass artists, craftspeople and companies, as well as for visitors curious to see their work. Festival-related projects such as the mural support existing local glass-related businesses and encourage new ones to establish themselves here, promoting innovation in the local economy.

The Mural Project is a partnership between the Festival of Glass, which is providing overall leadership, and Bellarine Secondary College, whose students are creating parts of the mural; it is supported by the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op and the Bellarine Historical Society; and it is partly financed by local organisations.

So far, the ‘Welcome’ sign has been designed and Bellarine Secondary College students have been introduced to Wathaurong culture by Uncle David Tournier and to events around Europeans’ arrival in the area. This will assist them to design and create the ceramic tiles that are part of the ‘Welcome to Drysdale’ sign.