Artistic Works & Culture
The City of Rockingham has rapidly gained a reputation for an innovative and pro-active approach to arts and community cultural development (CCD) so we have created the following information for you to find out more about arts and culture:
- Arts and Culture
- Community and Public Art Installations
View all the fantastic award winning public art pieces around the City such as the Wave entry statement at the Waterfront Village.
- Community Cultural Development Grants
If you are thinking about developing art or culture to improve the City of Rockingham you may be eligible for a grant.
- Local Artist Register
Are you an aspiring artist? Register and we will let you know of any opportunities that become available in your field of expertise.
The City of Rockingham has rapidly gained a reputation for an innovative and pro-active approach to arts and community cultural development (CCD). In 2002 Council adopted its Cultural Policy and Plan with a mission to “work in partnership with the community and other stakeholders to develop and implement CCD and other strategies to acknowledge, enhance and promote Rockingham’s lifestyle and culture to meet the needs and aspirations of the community”. As a result many initiatives have occurred and continue to occur in the City including the events below.
The City of Rockingham coordinates a Living Cultures series of free summer community celebratory events on the Rockingham Waterfront at Churchill Park each year. On Australia Day two significant Art Awards are on display creating an Art Gallery in an outdoor setting. The opportunity to view the Art Awards and participate in the selection of the Peoples Choice Award provides a unique dimension to experiencing various artforms as you will see the results of below:
You can now download the entry form for the 2008 Castaways Public Artworks Awards.
The winners are listed below:
- Mr Ricky Scott was the Major Award Winner for his “New Growth after the Wet" painting. View Photo...
- Ms Cassandra Mofflin was the International Power Mitsui Second Prize Winner for her "Regeneration" painting. View Photo...
- Ms Maxine Gregory (Wadidjil) was the International Power Mitsui Third Prize Winner for her "Track Em Down" calico/fabric painting. View Photo...
- Emerging Artist Award Winner was Ms Sheryl Osborne for her "Women" painting. View Photo...
Invited artists were asked to develop a ‘Castaways’ theme by exploring Rockingham’s cultural diversity, marine environment, coastal lifestyle through an innovative use of objects and recycled materials. The winners are listed below:
- The Major Award Winner for 2007 was Ms Maxine Gregory (Wadidjil) for her "Masky" coco mask. View Photo...
- The Emerging Artist Award went to Ms Clare Davies for her "Black Circle" fabric, wood and coffee filters. View Photo...
- This year Joe Iacovella’s artwork “Peace Keeper” which is all made of nuts and bolts was selected as the Peoples Choice Award. View Photo...
Reload webpage with Artwork Award details for:
The City is committed to enhancing the constructed environment through public art projects which involve artists in the planning and development of public spaces in Rockingham's parks, reserves, cultural, civic and sporting facilities.
Prominent Rockingham and Western Australian Artists/Sculptors have been commissioned to reflect the City's cultural identity through the installation of major and minor site-specific artworks. More recently these have include:
- Wave at the Waterfront Village Oval by Artist Andrew Kay.
- Catalpa Memorial ‘FLIGHT OF THE WILD GEESE’ located at Palm Beach by Artists/Sculptors Charlie Smith and Joan Walsh Smith. Read the Catalpa story or download the Catalpa Memorial Launch for Windows Media Player (13.6mb) or Quicktime (13.7mb). Please be aware that this DVD may contain images of Indigenous People that may have passed away.
- Delphinus Art in the Park artworks designed by a selection of local artists which is located within Delphinus and Bungaree Reserves starting at the corner of Rae Road and Read Street through to Bungaree Lake, with a public art walk that will eventually reach Lake Richmond.
- The ‘Birds & Grass Trees’ major artwork is by local artist Irene Osborne, together with the sculptural birds on the lightposts and banner poles.
- ‘Hello Lizard’ by Christine Martin Hegarty welcomes visitors and community members to follow the walking markers along the path to Bungaree Oval. The flora and fauna markers and the draincovers at Bungaree Lake were designed by Carol Clitheroe.
- Shopping Centre Underpass Murals which include images of rainbows, fish, birds, flowers, waves, dolphins and natural wonders adorn the four underpasses that link residents living around the Rockingham City Shopping Centre.
The City of Rockingham also commissioned artists Carol Clitheroe and Sheryl Osborne to design and paint the Council Ave and Read Street Underpasses during December 2005. The journeys through the underpasses have been further beautified with the establishment of gardens, extra lighting and pavement treatments.
The Waterfront Pioneer Rotary Walk will have ninety-nine Historical granite tiles installed creating a public art walk along the Boardwalk. Art Researchers Artists Arif and Audrey Satar have consulted with the students from Rockingham Senior High School, community groups and the Rockingham Historical Society and will see completion early 2007.
The Gumnut Seating and Floor Artworks at Hawker Lake will focus on the flora and indigenous seasons. Artists Arif and Audrey Satar will grace Hawker Lake in the near future.
The City also works with the community and local groups, often through art grants, to provide community art installations such as:
Located at the Waterfront on the corner of Wanliss and Kent Streets, this piece of artwork has totem poles, crocodile artwork and mosaics created by local community artists together with students from surrounding schools and cultural groups. The landscape design by Jim Alexander from Alexandra Planning is environmently unique in referencing the Indigenous story of the Crocodile and how Garden Island was created as told by Indigenous storyteller Trevor Walley.
Located on Warnbro Sound Avenue the Aqua Jetty Wall provides an award winning entry to the City's regional aquatic facility. The “Rockingham” theme of this significant community art was facilitated by Artists David Giles and Christine Martin Hegarty with contributions from over 2000 community members, including 1,000 students from every school in Rockingham.
Located along Warnbro Sound Avenue, this community developed artwork explores the theme of “Community in Motion”. The pilot project involved the rejuvenation of six bus shelters through the application of various artforms. Professional artists Carol Clitheroe and Lesley King facilitated the concept design and fabrication stages with the students from the surrounding schools, namely Warnbro Community High School, Living Waters Christian College, Warnbro Primary School, Koorana Primary School and Challenger TAFE.
As part of the pilot project Council staff installed the artworks and monitored the ‘before and after’ incidence of graffiti to see if the artwork decreased the occurance of vandalism at all.
Due to the pilot being a success, the next Adopt a Bus Shelter programme will be extended to Rae and Safety Bay Roads.
Rockingham’s Annual School Banner Competition is a significant event on the City calendar where students from Rockingham schools participate in designing and painting a banner to be positioned along Read Street. In the following year the overall winner has the opportunity to design and paint the City’s entry into the WA Local Government Association’s “Banner in the Terrance” along St Georges Terrace Perth which is recognised as the State’s most significant community art project.
The 2005 Winner was Maranatha Christian College with this year seeing Warnbro Community High School produce the City’s Banner with a theme of “The Need to Lead’.
As an exciting addition to the City's ROCKalendar of events there is also a series of free "Kulcha" concerts held at Rockingham Beach.
The Kulcha concerts are typically run between the summer months of January to April with a different theme every year.
Council's Community Cultural Development Grants (CCDG) of up to $2,500 are available for groups and/or individuals working with groups, to develop arts and cultural activities in the City of Rockingham.
You are encouraged to discuss your proposal with the Cultural Development Officer before submitting your application.
For details on Council's policy and application, download the Community Cultural Development Grants Policy.
The City of Rockingham has a local artist register and invites aspiring artists to submit their details.
This database is designed to include professional, semi-professional, emerging artists and creative practitioners who aim to derive some level of financial income from their practice.
