Artist Expression of Interest - Balaclava Multicultural Mural Festival 2027

Description: The City of Port Phillip is delivering the 'Balaclava Multicultural Mural Festival' 2027. The program aims to bring more colour, energy and visitors to Balaclava while celebrating the people, cultures and stories that make Carlisle Street and its surrounds unique. Project background: With funding from the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Business Precinct Revitalisation Program, the City of Port Phillip is delivering a public space uplift project at the Carlisle Street underpass beneath Balaclava Station. The project will commission a public artwork on two new freestanding steel hoardings positioned in front of the existing bluestone walls. The artwork will help revitalise the Carlisle Street business precinct, improve the amenity of a key pedestrian connection, support local economic activity and celebrate the evolving cultural diversity of traders, communities and visitors who use the precinct. The project responds to ongoing graffiti and amenity issues in the underpass by creating a durable, high-quality artwork intervention that can be maintained by Council. The finished work should deter illegal graffiti and strengthen the identity, cultural character and visitor experience of the multicultural business precinct. Access and Support for your application: You may contact us through the National Relay Service on 133 677 (ask for (03) 9209-6777). Alternatively, you could download Deaf-owned Relay Service Convo. For Translating & Interpreting Services, please call 13 14 50. If this information is not accessible to you and you need this in an alternative format, such as large print, audio or Braille; or if you require accessible formats for submission, please email jah.smith@portphillip.vic.gov.au or call 0414-011-307. For general Council information about the National Relay Service, language translation and Auslan interpreter services, visit accessibility and disability inclusion. Artwork objectives: Through the Balaclava Multicultural Mural Festival, the Council aims to: • Celebrate the cultural diversity, histories and contemporary identities of Balaclava and Carlisle Street, recognising both established and emerging communities. • Strengthen social cohesion by creating opportunities for connection, belonging, mutual respect and greater understanding between cultures, generations and communities. • Ensure local communities have meaningful opportunities to inform the development of the artworks. • Create welcoming and inclusive public spaces where people from different backgrounds can feel recognised and connected to place. • Encourage artists to explore shared experiences, aspirations and connections to place, while respecting the distinct stories and identities of different communities. • Support precinct visitation, local businesses and Carlisle Street's identity as a vibrant multicultural destination. Community Engagement: Selected artists will participate in Council-facilitated community engagement activities to help inform the development of their final artwork concepts. Community engagement is intended to ensure the artworks are informed by local voices and lived experience, provide opportunities for different communities to contribute, and support cultural understanding, inclusion and a shared sense of belonging within the precinct. Artists should approach community engagement as a collaborative process that values community knowledge, lived experience and cultural perspectives. Artists will be expected to demonstrate how engagement has meaningfully informed the development of the final artwork. Requirements and considerations for proposed artworks: • Artworks should celebrate both established and emerging multicultural communities connected to Balaclava and Carlisle Street, recognising the area's rich migration history, contemporary identities and cultural diversity. • Artworks should contribute to social cohesion and inclusion by fostering a sense of belonging, connection and shared identity, and by respectfully representing and celebrating the diverse cultures and communities that make up Balaclava and the Carlisle Street precinct. • Artworks are encouraged to explore connections between cultures, generations and communities, including shared experiences, histories, aspirations and connections to place. • Artworks should recognise that Balaclava's multicultural identity is both historical and contemporary, reflecting established communities as well as newer communities and the experiences of people who live, work, study, trade in and visit the area today. • Artworks should represent cultural identities, stories and experiences respectfully and avoid stereotypes, generalisations or representations that may mischaracterise or marginalise particular communities. • While individual murals may respond to particular stories, cultures or communities, collectively the artworks should contribute to an inclusive narrative of Balaclava that reflects its diversity and strengthens connection across the precinct. • Artworks should support local business visibility and make the area more attractive and memorable, encouraging visitation and pedestrian movement throughout the precinct. • Artworks must be suitable for a highly visible, highly used public space and be welcoming, vibrant, inclusive and family-friendly. • Artworks must be original and must not contain business logos, advertising material, offensive imagery, political messaging or content that promotes antisocial behaviour. Information session and EOI workshop: Space2b will host an information session and Expression of Interest (EOI) workshop for artists interested in applying for the Mural Festival. Creative arts organisations are also encouraged to attend to learn how they can participate or collaborate on the project. Space2b Social Design - www.space2b.com.au For more information, contact Space2b via email at info@space2b.com.au Project Delivery: The artist(s) will be responsible for: • All costs associated with artwork concept development and preparation of the final print-ready digital artwork file. • Attending meetings as required and working with Council to develop the artwork concept within the Council’s timelines. • Participating in a Council run community consultation program or facilitation session, as required, to help inform the artwork concept. This includes attending the session, developing community ideas in an accessible way, listening to community feedback, and demonstrating how relevant themes, stories or priorities have been considered in the development of the final artwork. • Working with the Council to ensure the artwork is appropriate for the site. • Delivery of a final print-ready digital artwork file in the required format, resolution and specifications agreed with the Council, for supply to the appointed installer. • Providing artwork file specifications, colour references and any reasonable production notes required by the Council or the installer. • Participation in media calls, interviews and publicity if requested. • Reviewing digital proofs or installer queries where required before artwork production. Council will be responsible for: • Facilitating engagement at the 2026 Victorian Interfaith Festival and with Council’s Multicultural Advisory Committee. • Promoting and hosting engagement with local businesses, multicultural traders or community stakeholders where required. • Project management. • Permits where required. • Engaging and coordinating the installer responsible for fabrication, printing, application and installation of the artwork onto the hoarding or screening system. • Ongoing maintenance of the work. Project Location: The festival will include up to 8 sites for murals along Carlisle Street. Council anticipates appointing multiple artists. If selected, artists will be allocated a wall space as soon as possible in consultation with the Council's Graffiti and Street Art Programs Officer. The artist(s) will be responsible for: • All costs associated with artwork development and design. • Attending meetings as required and working with Council to develop the artwork concept within Council's timelines. • Participating in Council-facilitated community engagement to help inform the artwork concept, including listening to community feedback, sharing and developing ideas in an accessible way, and demonstrating how relevant community stories, cultural perspectives, lived experiences and locally identified priorities have informed the final artwork. • Approaching engagement in a culturally respectful and inclusive manner that supports participation by different communities. • Working with Council to ensure the artwork is appropriate for the site and consistent with the Festival's objectives, including social cohesion and inclusion. • Participation in media calls, interviews and publicity if requested. Council will be responsible for: • Facilitating inclusive community engagement opportunities, including with local residents, businesses, multicultural traders, community organisations and representatives of established and emerging cultural communities connected to Balaclava and Carlisle Street. • Supporting selected artists to understand relevant community feedback and local context arising from the engagement process. • Project management. Costs associated with mural installation, including wall preparation, access equipment and protective coatings. • Permits where required. • Ongoing maintenance of the work. Copyright: The artist(s) will retain copyright of their artwork. Council retains the right to reproduce images and documentation of the artwork for promotional, educational and non-commercial purposes, with appropriate artist attribution. Project Timeline: • Thursday, 8 October 2026 - Expressions of interest open. • Sunday, 25 October 2026, 11:59 PM - Expressions of interest close. • Monday, 9 November 2026 - Preferred artist(s) notified and contracted. • November to December 2026 - Artist(s) participate in community engagement and provide draft concept for Council and stakeholder review. • December 2026 - Final design development and approvals. • Monday, 1 to Sunday, 14 March 2027 - Installation and Festival launch. Please note, timelines are subject to change. Commission budget: The maximum budget for the artist commission is up to $20,000 (ex. GST).* *Fees will vary depending on wall size allocated. The artist fee includes concept development, attendance at community engagement activities, artwork design development, project administration and artistic services. Contractual arrangements: Applicants must be an incorporated body or company, or auspiced by an incorporated organisation, such as Auspicious Arts. Payment of the fees will be as follows: • 50% upon signing contract, 50% upon Council approval and completion of the artwork. • Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of Public Liability Insurance to a minimum value specified by Council and comply with all relevant Occupational Health and Safety requirements during installation. Assessment criteria: • Relevant artistic and community experience: Previous experience delivering high-quality public art or public realm projects within agreed timelines and budgets, including demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively with Council, businesses and project stakeholders. Experience working respectfully with culturally diverse communities, community-led processes or cultural storytelling will be highly regarded. • Response to project objectives and social cohesion: Alignment with the Multicultural Business Precinct Revitalisation Program and the Festival's objectives, including celebration of cultural diversity, contribution to social cohesion, community connection and belonging, precinct activation, improved public space outcomes and support for local economic activity. • Community engagement approach: The artist demonstrates an inclusive and culturally respectful approach to engagement and a willingness to listen to and incorporate relevant community stories, cultural perspectives, lived experiences and locally identified themes into the development of the artwork. • Capacity to deliver project: The artist has indicated that they can meet the required timelines of the project. • Artistic merit, cultural relevance and quality: The artist's work demonstrates strong artistic merit and the potential to create a welcoming, engaging and culturally respectful public environment that contributes positively to the identity of the precinct, inclusion and community connection, without detracting from amenity, accessibility or public safety. Details to include in submission: Artists are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in response to this brief, including: • Resume or portfolio. • Evidence of previous project experience, including examples of completed public murals of a similar scale and nature, concept statements and total project costs. • A brief statement outlining how the artist's practice and approach to community engagement could contribute to the Festival's objectives of celebrating cultural diversity, strengthening social cohesion and fostering belonging and connection within the Balaclava community. • A brief description of any relevant experience working with culturally diverse communities, community-led processes or cultural storytelling. • Name of applicant or company, postal address, legal entity and Australian Business Number (ABN). Please note, applicant must be incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act or supported by an Incorporated Association that is deemed to be non-profit, as classified by the Australian Taxation Office (section 103A(2)(c) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936). How to apply: • EOI open: Thursday, 8 October 2026. • EOI closes: Sunday, 25 October 2026, 11:59 PM. Applications are to be emailed to: Jah Smith Graffiti and Street Art Programs Officer Email: jah.smith@portphillip.vic.gov.au Mobile: 0401-184-957 Council encourages applications from artists from diverse backgrounds. Additional requirements: • Ensuring a Child Safe City of Port Phillip. The City of Port Phillip has zero tolerance for child abuse, and we are a committed Child Safe organisation. Our commitment is to ensure that a culture of child safety is embedded across our community to safeguard every child and young person accessing City of Port Phillip. All grant applications that work directly with children and young people are required to comply with legislation and regulations relating to child safety including, but not limited to, the Working with Children Act 2005 and the Working with Children Regulations 2016 and the Victorian Child Safe Standards (CSS). • Victorian Government Values Statement and social cohesion. • Working with First Peoples. • Working with an auspice organisation.