General News
14 April, 2022
Skipton art project takes shape
SKIPTON locals might notice a colourful new addition in the township.
SKIPTON locals might notice a colourful new addition in the township.
Artist Mike Makatron has finished the mural in Skipton he was commissioned to paint.
The mural is one part of the Skipton Art Project, with the second install of a sculpture at Stewart Park to be completed towards the end of May.
The new public art project will celebrate a much-loved mammal which resides in the heart of town.
Mr Makatron is teaming up with artist-led consultancy Artbox to deliver the two pieces of public art featuring the platypus.
The first is the large-scale mural on the wall of Emu Café on the corner of Montgomery and Anderson Streets.
The second will be a prominent platypus and reeds sculpture near the banks of Mount Emu Creek in Stewart Park, which will be easily viewed from the Glenelg Highway.
Community reference group member Malcolm Sanders said the project had received a lot of interest with more than 30 submissions from artists across the country.
“There was an excellent standard with some high-profile public artists,” he said.
“It was exciting to see that, and it was really hard to narrow down to four artists.”
Mr Sanders said the four short-listed artists were invited to present their proposal to the group in December.
“The final four produced really interesting responses to the brief,” he said.
“Every single one of them we liked a lot and each captured a really interesting aspect of our community.”
After lengthy conversations, the group selected the mural and sculpture proposal by Mike Makatron and Artbox.
“What we like about it as a group is that it’s a beautiful and accessible piece of public art for the community,” Mr Sanders said.
“The artist really saw the community and reflected what it was.
“It celebrates a significant natural feature of the town, that is the platypus that live in the community.”
Mike Makatron is a Melbourne-based painter who has been producing public art for 20 years.
He has travelled the world creating large-scale murals and installations.
Mr Makatron will work with Artbox, an artist-led consultancy that supports artists to make their best work.
Artbox co-founder Leo Gester said he was looking forward to working with Mr Makatron to deliver public art for the Skipton community.
“Through researching Skipton’s heritage and history, we considered a number of defining features of the town,” he said.
“While it was evident that Skipton owes a lot to its sheep and shearing industries – even its name – we felt that this was a trait shared broadly across Australia, and Skipton deserves better than to be treated like any otherrural town.
“On the other hand, we’re not aware of any other place on earth that can claim to have platypuses living in the heart of town.
“We’re thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to celebrate this uniquely Australian fauna with a mural and a landmark sculpture that will be seen prominently from the Glenelg Highway.”