Nambour boasts top street art drawcard

A mural at Ken Mills Toyota dealership highlighting the importance of family values has been named as one of the best public art experiences in the nation.

The mural by local artist David Hardy has been shortlisted for the 2020 Australian Street Art Awards’ Best External Mural gong.

The winners in all eight Australian Street Art Awards categories will be announced on Tuesday 2 March on the Sunshine Coast.

Transforming streetscapes ... David Hardy’s uplifting creation has been shortlisted for the 2020 Australian Street Art Awards’ Best External Mural.

Awards Director, Liz Rivers, said “The Awards showcase localities like Nambour that are using outdoor art to transform their streetscapes, while educating Australians about the magnificent array of publicly-accessible art that can be found in every corner of the country.

With rigorous judging by tourism leaders from around Australia and abroad, plus second-tier auditing and due diligence, Nambour’s finalist berth has the credence of the art tourism sector.

“Securing a finalist berth in the prestigious Awards further cements the Sunshine Coast’s reputation as bucket-list destination for tourists who love to seek out art experiences,” Ms Rivers said.

Judging focussed on the way the art has been used to attract visitors and bring the local community together safely under the challenging COVID-19 conditions. The mural, painted in monochromatic pinks and featuring a pensive mother watching over her young daughter playing carefree in a park, now features on the Nambour Street Art Trail – a collection of 22 murals, 11 of which were created in 2020. David Hardy’s work features three times.

The judges said: “This is a great example of where a street art trail has inspired a business to sponsor a new mural in recognition that it will bring more people to the town”.

The judges also wanted to recognise the pivotal part played by the mural organisers, Street Art Nambour, and commended Ken Mills Toyota for supporting the project.

“Australia has a long history of creating sculptures, monuments and other street art that is captivating to visitors. However, until two years ago there was no way of rewarding towns & precincts that created these art-related experiences for visitors. The Australian Street Art Awards has remedied that,” Ms Rivers said.

Two entries from the Sunshine Coast have been named as finalists. The other is Activate the Boulevard by Steven Bordonaro, located at the Maroochydore Homemaker Centre.